Srimad Bhagavata

SRIliD BHilATm

PANDIT A. M. SRINIVASACHARIAR

TRANSLATED

BY

Dr. V. RAGHAVAN, m.a., ph.D.

FOREWORD

BY

sm P. S. S1VASWAM1 AIYER

PUBLISHED BY

Q. A. NATE8AN & 00., MADRAS
PRICE RE. 1(4

FOREWORD

T has been the ambition of Mr. G. A.

Natesan to popularise the three most
important poems in the sacred literature
of India by bringing out abridgments of
the original Sanskrit texts with an English
translation. He first brought out an
abridgment of Valmiki’s Ramayana, the
most famous Kavya in the classical litera-
ture of India. This was immediately
followed by the abridgment of the
Mahabharata, the greatest Itihasa. His
latest venture is the abridgment of the
Srirnad Bhagavata which be justly

described as the greatest and most popular
of the Puranas, Eyirr^^Ptiraml^'has neces-
sarily to deal with a certain number of
topics according to traditional conventions,
and the manner of treatment of these topics
is more or less on similar lines. But each
Purana is further intended to serve
a Bpeeial purpose. The Puranas generally
contain a strange medley of fables and
fairy tales, philosophy and religion, myth
and legend. It is not easy for a Western
reader to appreciate the teaching and
valtre of our Puranas without a knowledge
of the methods employed by the ancient

IV

FOREWORD

Indian sages for inculcating the principles
of ethics or the tenets of religion. The
Bhagavata shares the defects of Puranas
generally. It is full of incredible stories
and miracles, and embodies divergent
philosophical doctrines, divers cults, stories
intended to exalt some particular incarnation
or manifestation of the Deity and stories
which do not hesitate to attribute faults
of character to God or which may appear
to the reader to have an immoral tendency.
It is not free from the bias of sectarianism.
Its literary merit is not uniform and is
so uneven in substance and in style that
we may reasonably suspect many interpola-
tions and the work of more hands than one.
The style is often harsh and rugged, involving
highly artificial combinations of words. It
has got its peculiar terminology. In this
respect it compares unfavourably with the
Ramayana. In spite of these defects,
the Bhagavata has acquired a wonderful
hold upon the minds of Hindus. It has a
fascination even for the minds of those who,
like myself, are keenly alive to its defects.

What is the secret of the appeal that the
Bhagavata makes even to the mind of the
educated Hindu ? The main theme of the
Bhagavata is the importance of Haribhakti
or devotion to God, especially in His manifes-
tation as Krishna. It is generally said that
the Bhagavata is par excellence the PilNrana
which emphasises the value of Bhakti

FOREWORD

V

(devotion) and Virakti ("detachment).
Attractive stories are a vehicle employed
by the Hindu sages for teaching morality
and religion. The author of the Bhagavata
has largely availed himself of this method.

The sage V.vasa who had edited the
Vedas and composed the Mahabharata
did not attain serenity or happiness in spite
of the completion of his labours and his
immersion in philosophy and religion. If
there was any philosopher who could
have appreciated the truth of the
Vedanta philosophy and enjoyed inti-
macy with the formless Absolute (Nirguna
Brahman), it was Vyasa. He was
told by Narada that he could attain
peace of mind and happiness only by
dwelling upon the incarnations of Lord
Vasudeva and singing his glory.

The stories of the Deity and His miraculous
intervention to help His votaries often
read like fairy tales. They are not, however,
accepted by the though ful at their face value.
It is pointed out by Sri Sankaracharya
that the object of myth and legend in
the Vedas is merely to lure the mind
to the truths of religion. The stories are
treated as mere Arthavada (eulogistic)
and not as facts. If, notwithstanding the
progress of knowledge, educated people
still Jisten with delight to these stories,
it ia because even they have not outgrown
the credulity of childhood. What appeals

vi

FOREWORD

to the childhood of the human race appeals
even to gtown-up individuals in civilised
societies. Bernard Shaw has remarked
that there is evidence for a law of conser-
vation of credulity. Our appetite for the
marvellous still persists in the hidden
recesses of the mind. Stories of
miracles are to be found in the
Bible and in the literature of most
religions. It is these defects which first
strike the superficial observer who is
unable to separate the pearls of truth and
wisdom from the shells in which they are
imbedded. Macaulay made fun of the
history and geography of the Hindus, “ of
history abounding with kings thirty feet
high and reigns tliirt\ thousand years long,
and geography made up of seas of treacle
and seas of butter But no educated
Hindu takes these descriptions for history
or geography.

Dismissing these stories as intended for
the entertainment of undeveloped minds,
we find in the Bhagavata the highest
truths of religion and philosophy and the
highest principles of ethics expounded in
appropriate language. The lilt of the verse
in the Bhagavata has a peculiar charm
of its own ; it varies with the occasion
as it is gay or grave, from the lighter
and swift moving measure of the madrigal
and the pastoral song to the slow' and
solemn measure of the hymn. There

FOREWORD

rii

is a solemnity and grandeur in the
devotional songs which attunes the
mind to the high theme. It is a
poem to suit different modes and emotions,
the mood of adoration or worship, of
sorrow or joy, of peace and tranquillity,
of discontent with the things of the world
and a desire for freedom from its trammels,
of humility and regret over wasted
opportunities for salvation, of perplexity
about the mysteries of the universe and
the ways of God or of passionate yearning
for union with God. While the Western
mind prefers to contemplate God in the
role of a law-giver, a judge or a friend,
the Hindu mind prefers to dwell upon the
conception of God in His incarnation as a
child, a son, a lover, a hero, a guide and
counsellor, a protector of the oppressed
and the humble and the pure in heart,
and a saviour. This is the secret of the
special charm of the Krishna Avatara.

The virtues ascribed by the author to
the Deity may sometimes appear to be
carried to extremes. Like the God of the
Israelites, the God of the Hindus is described
as partial to the Devas or Suras who are
His chosen people. This favouritism is
unaccountable in view of the fact that the
Gods or Suras are, like the Gods of Greek

antmuity, not patterns
the* Asuras or Titans

of morality, and
are very often

superior to the Gods in courage, chivalry*

VUl

FOREWORD

character and religious devotion. The
moral superiority of the Asuras is
conspicuous in the case of Vritra,
Prahlada and Bali, whose character stands
out in shining contrast to that of Indra,
the ruler of the Devas. One plausible
explanation which occurs to me is that
God has been often depicted in the
Puranas as a tribal God, and the partiality
shown towards the Devas is consistent
with this character. The unwilling
testimony borne by the Puranas to the
character of some of the Asuras is
strange and calls for an explanation.
The Asuras and Suras were agnatic
relations, and the Asuras, who were the
Gods of the ancient Iranians, represented
the heroes of the Iranian branch of the
Indo-Aryan family from which the Aryans
of India separated when they trekked
towards India.

The protection of servants, dependants
and votaries is an obligation and a virtue.
Krishna exhibits a most touching solicitude
for the inviolability of the troth of his
Bhaktas even at the sacrifice sometimes
of his own. One circumstance which must
never be lost sight of in our appraisal
of the characters and events depicted
in the Puranas or, for the matter of
that, any work of past history, is that
they reflect the conditions of the
society in which the authors lived and

FOREWORD

ix

the beliefs and ethical standards current
at the time*

The scale of ethical and religious values
is no doubt liable to change in course
of time, but the development of morality
and religion had attained such a height
in ancient India that it is doubtful whether
humanity has made any great progress in
these spheres.

It is often popularly supposed that
idolatry is favoured or enjoined by
the Hindu religion. While Hinduism
permits the worship of idols, it is only a
concession to the ignorant who are incapable
of rising to abstract conceptions and
the higher forms of religious belief.
It is recognised and allowed only
as the lowest rung of the devotional
ladder. But when the mind is educated
and becomes capable of concentration,
abstraction and meditation, the worshipper
is gradually led on to the highest truths of
religion. The Bhagavata recognises the
principle of relativity and its spiritual
prescriptions are adjusted to the different
stages of individual development.

I have already referred to the tendency of
our moralists and religious teachers to
emphasise the value of the particular truths
which they wish to impress on the mind
by recourse to exaggeration. The importance
of ooedience to the father is illustrated
by the story of Parasurama who killed

X

FOREWORD

even his mother at the bidding of his
father. The banishment of Sita to the
forest is intended to illustrate the
obligation of the sovereign to sacrifice
his own personal happiness for the
purpose of avoiding even the slightest
breath of scandal against the throne. The
value of the invocation of the Deity and
the repetition of His name as a means of
leading the mind to the thought of God
and concentration upon the idea of God
is illustrated by the extravagant story
of Ajamila who was saved after a life
of libertinism by pronouncing the name
of Narayana. The human wish for
longevity which ofteu expresses itself in
the longing for eternity is illustrated in
the story of an ancient king Bharata who
is said to have lived for ten million years.
The slaughter of Kshatriyas by Parasuraraa
must be interpreted not as a wanton act
of revenge, but as an attempt to crush the
growing militarism and aggressiveness of
the warrior caste.

The amours of Krishna have often
proved a stumbling-block to the faithful
and have furnished a handle to the critics
of Hinduism. Several explanations have
been attempted and the author of the
Bhagavata himself raises the question and
suggests an explanation that super-me^ are
not to be judged by the standards of
ordinary humanity. Many interesting

FOREWORD

x*

questions are raised by this riddle. Are
the incidents historical facts or were they
merely the outcome of the luxuriance of
the poet's voluptuous imagination ? One
circumstance which may throw light in
forming an opinion upon this question
is that Krishna has always been depicted
in the Bhagavata as an incarnation in
which he asserted and manifested his
omnipotence and other divine attributes
from time to time. He often declared
himself to be divine and was believed by
his kinsmen and followers to be divine.
When the sage Narada wished to find
out how Krishna could lead a happy
married life with his 16,000 wives, he
visited their mansions and found Krishna
in every one of their homes. We must
interpret the story and judge of the
characters with due regard to the setting
of the story and its milieu. Even the
Gopis who ardently loved him addressed
him as being not the son of a Gopi, but
as the divinity residing in the hearts of
all persons, who had taken a human form
for the protection of the world. They
idolised him as the Paramatman in the flesh.

Hinduism often depicts God as the
creator, preserver and destroyer of the
universe. He is often identified with
relentless time or fate. He is repre-
sented in the Bhagavata as having
become incarnate as Krishna to reduce

FOREWORD

Xll

the over-population of the world. War was
■one of the well-known means by which
the evil of over-population was rectified
in the world. When the author of the
Bhagavata describes Krishna as assuming
responsibility for the drunken brawls and
mutual slaughter of the turbulent Yadavas,
he is simply identified with the evolutionary
process of the world. The story is also
intended to emphasise the evils of addiction
to liquor.

The value of the Bhagavata to the
devout consists not so much in the stories
and legends with which it abounds or in
the charming lyrics or in the beauty of
its poetic descriptions or in the portrayal
of human nature with its intense human
interest, but in its exposition of the main
theme of the book. The essential truths
which it emphasises again and again are
the imperishability of the soul, the good-
ness, power and helpfulness of God and
the attainment of salvation by the method
of Bhakti. The path of Bhakti or devo-
tion has sometimes been misrepresented
by hostile critics. The true spirit of
religion implies the adoration and love
of God and the desire for union with
Ood. The highest conception of bliss is
not, according to the Hindu mind, mere
prostration and service at the foot of the
Almighty, but a loving union with Him.
The salvation may take the shape of Salokya,

FOREWORD

xui

Sarapya or Sayujya. In emphasising Bhakfci
as a method of salvation, the Bhagavata
does not fail to lay stress on the need
for the service and love of humanity, nay
of all living beings. There are innumer-
able passages dwelling upon the importance
of identifying oneself with all humanity.
It is sufficient to quote one of the many
passages in which goodness is defined :

aWFft JTPT^: 37fip U

«nrfn sww m srsfam s? shot: n

No other work in the Hindu religious,
literature has made a more careful study
of the psychology of Bhakti. The man
who truly loves God cannot possibly
go astray.

Mr. Natesan’s object in publishing this
abridgment of the Bhagavata is laudable.
In making the selections from such a
voluminous work, he has followed a principle
of his own. His purpose is evidently to
give some idea of all the Avataras described
in tl^e Bhagavata. To keep his book within
the limits of space he has prescribed for
himself he has cut out many passages of

*1V

FOREWORD

great beauty, especially the hymns*
Opinions may differ as to the portions of
the original which should have been
included or excluded. But this is to a
great extent a matter for individual
judgment and taste. I understand that it
is his intention to follow up this book
with an anthology of hymns in which
I hope several of the hymns of the
Bhagavata will find a place. Mr. Natesan
has been fortunate in securing the
services of Pandit A. M. Srinivasachari
for the task of condensation and of
Dr. V. Raghavan, a competent Sanskrit
scholar, for the translation of the
original text.

P. S. SIVASWAMY AIYEE.

TRANSLATORS NOTE

T HE Srimad Bhagavata was composed
by Sage Vyasa at the instance
of Sage Narada. This Purana, singing
exclusively of the Lord’s glories and of
the greatness of Devotion to Him, Vyasa
taught to his son, Suka. Suka recited
the Bhagavata to King Parikshit, the
grandson of the Pandavas, who had
been cursed to death. Subsequently
the Suta, or minstrel, named Ugrasravas,
son of Romaharshana, recited this
Bhagavata, as done by Vyasa to Suka
and Suka to Parikshit, to Saunaka and
other Brahmins and the sages assembled in
the Naimisa forest during the session of
the Sacrifice performed by Saunaka. The
text proper, as narrated by Suka to
Parikshit, is not given directly as Snka’s
narration. Almost every section is a
narrative by some different person and
this has made the structure of the Purana
very involved. The text presented in this
condensation is given as if it were all
recited directly by Suka himself. The
names of different persons to whom the
different narratives are addressed are
enclosed in square brackets as well as the
addresses, by name or attribute, to King

xvi TRANSLATOR’S NOTE

Parikshit, made by Suka. These are Ipft
untranslated. In all these respects, the
plan of the earlier publication, the
Mahabharata, is followed.

As in the case of the Bharata, an index
to the proper names occurring in the
condensed text has been added. The reader
is requested to refer to the index at the
end of the Mahabharata also, since
there are names common v to these two
works.

In preparing this English Translation,
I have been, as before, helped by
Professors K. A. Nilakanta Sastri and
K. Swaminathan, and Mr. K. Balasubrahmania
Ayyar, to whom I take this opportunity
to render thanks.

V. RAGHAVAN.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

F EW books in Sanskrit sacred literature
appeal so much to the heartB of
millions of Indians as the Ramayana, the
Mahabharata and the Bbagavata. I feel
most thankful that it has been given to
me to present to the Public in rapid
succession these precious compilations of
the great triad wherein lie embedded all
that is noble and inspiring in Hindu
religion, philosophy and culture. Carefully
compiled and translated into simple,
readable English, these books will, in the
words of a great Orientalist, “ form a
source of joy to the thorough knower
of the epics as well as to the person
who reads them for the first time, to
the orthodox as much as to the modern,
for youth as well as for riper age, for
the Western reader as much as for

the Eastern

It only remains for me to express my
profound gratitude to Sir Sivaswamy Aiyer
— the finest embodiment of Eastern and
Western culture — for his great kindness
in writing the Foreword to this work.

Jan. 1987.

G. A. NATESAN.

CONTENTS

Page

FOREWORD ... iii

TRANSLATOR’S NOTE ... xv

PUBLISHER’S NOTE ... xvii

GENESIS OF THE BHAGAVATA ... 1

VARAHA AVATARA ... 22

KAPILA AVATARA ... 30

THE STORY OF DHRUVA ... 44

PRITHU AVATARA ... 61

THE STORY OF PRACHINABARHIS 69
THE STORY OF PRIYAVRATA ... 75

RISHABHA AVATARA ... 77

THE STORY OF JADABHARATA ... 88

THE STORY OF AJAMILA ... 108

THE STORY OF VRITRA ASURA 117
THE STORY OF PRAHLADA ... 188

THE STORY OF ELEPHANT-KING 170

iiURMA AVATARA ... 178

VAMANA & TRIVIKRAMA AVATARA8 195
MATSYA AVATARA ... 217

RAMA AVATARA ... 225

XX

CONTENTS

Page

PARASURAMA AVATARA ... 281

KRISHNA AVATARA ... 241

The Killing of Putana ... 261

The Shattering of Sakata ... 268

The Killing of Trinavarta ... 266

The Sacrament of Naming ... 267

Showing Visvarupa to His Mother 270

The Binding of Krishna ... 272

The Uprooting of the Arjuna Trees 276
Killing of Vatsa ... 277

Killing of Baka ... 279

Killing of Agha ... 281

The Carrying Away of the Calves ... 286

The Killing of Dhenuka ... 291

The Subduing of the Serpent Kaliya 298
The Killing of Pralamba ... 296

Stealing the Garments of the Gopis 299
Lifting the Govardhana Mountain ... 808

The Sport of Dance ... 808

The Killing of Arishta ... 815

Preparations for the Bow-Festival 817

The Arrival of Akrura ... 820

The Entry of the Lord into Mathura 826
The Killing of Kamsa .... 880

The Installation of Ugrasena as King 886

CONTENTS

XXI

Page

Life with the Teacher ... 888

Message to Gokula through Uddhava 889

Krishna Marrying Rukmini ... 845

The Killing of Narakasura ... 864

A Love-Quarrel with Rukmini ... 856

Marriage of Aniruddha and Usha ... 862

Krishna’s Household Life ... 866

The Killing of Jarasandha ... 869

The Killing of Sisupala ... 877

The Story of Kuchela ... 880

Advice to Uddhava ... 890

The Passage of the Lord ... 406

KALKI AVATARA ... 409

THE SALVATION OF PARIKSHIT 411
NOTE ON THE BHAGAVATA ... 417

INDEX TO PROPER NAMES ... 421

THE GREAT TRIAD

UXI70BM VOLUMES

THE RAMAYANA
THE MAHABHARATA
THE BHAGAVATA

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G. A. NATE8AN & CO., MADRAS.

gsiter i
^w^Tfi^T ^rr fefSmrr *r* flrcnrf *pr
enw sto mi srei <rt tftafa n

H vft: II

ii sforr wrawrn ii

:o:

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

O

it gi fr raiPredre t fK : ii

GENESIS OF THE BHAGAVATA

In the divine region of (the forest of)
Naimisa, Saunaka and other sages eagerly
enquired this of Suta*, the minstrel, who
was seated there (duly) honoured.

* Suta, sou of Rom ah a r s h a n a, heaoe called
Raumaharihani, is the reciter of this and the
other Pursues to Sauuaka and other sages.

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

«Tkiii&ic^sart?rr^ ^srnsTfar i
sfcrersr; 5Tfag*r|fa ii

“By you, O sinless soul, the Puranas
with the legends of yore as well as the
Institutes of Dharma have been studied
and recited. In those various texts, O long-
lived Suta, what has been determined by
you, in straight interpretation, as the invaria-
ble good lor men, that you must tell us.

* <|f«IW<IK t 5(jpnRf #JTFT ^ iTSTFT’ar I

a vu«n ft cNfaa: 11 ’

“ O wise Suta, recite to us the auspicious
stories of the incarnations of that Hari
whose descent is for the welfare and
prosperity of beings.”

‘3®w } TStec wri%osJte*nr5.* i

^SfltUT Tw*rwti<ir N

GENESIS OF THE BHAGAVATA d

Rejoicing at this excellent inquiry, the
Suta began to speak :

“Sages! well have I been asked by
you that which is for the well-being of
the world ; for, of Krishna has this great
enquiry been made, an enquiry by which
the soul gets completely composed.

< r g rr foq r *rr^cri 'rfa; i

“ Indeed, that is the greatest Dharma
<or men, by which there shall be devotion
for Hari. Therefore, single-minded, one
must listen to (the story ol) Lord Hari,
sing of Him, contemplate and worship
Him always.

«rT^?nFT *rfrr: n

“ It is Hari who is the import of the
Vedas ; it is Hari for whom all rituals
are intended ; it is Hari who is the object
of all Dharmas; it is Hari who is the
ultimate goal.

4

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

“ It is that great Lord, who, by his own
mystic power, created this universe at
the beginning.

vnfcT xT cTOT II

“ As the one fire lit in several
pieces of wood which form its substratum
appears manifold, even so does the one
Being, the soul of the universe, appear
manifold in the several beings.

» 3TW3KT grerefrT i

“ Ye twice-born ! innumerable are the
incarnations of Hari, the abode of power,
even as there may be thousands of
streamlets from an inexhaustible lake.

grere ypret^fa ; 11

“ This Purana of the doings of the
Lord of greatest renown, the well-known
Bhagavata equal to the Vedas, the blessed
sage Vyasa composed.

GENESIS OF THE BHAGAVATA

t>

* aft* wrtqwif i ga m wgai i
*t 3 ^rmraT^r *T£irnr %<th i
*rte5 m arraf^nfiT «mnsfta ^ronrfa a’

‘‘ And this Purana, Vyasa imparted to
his son, Suka, the foremost of the self-
possessed. Suka made the monarch
Parikshit hear it ; and, in the measure of
my study and knowledge, I shall recite it
to you.”

Wr<—

srTrn 'TOirnmft strain srsrcr a

Suta : —

When the third change in yuga, the
Dvapara, came, the yogin, Vyasa, was born
of Parasara and Satyavati, as a partial
incarnation of Hari.

fef£ra> ^ armtm fe<wfmcq > II

That Vyasa whose vision was never barren
sat all alone and contemplated what was
beneficial.

©

SHIM AD BHAGAVATA

‘ fk mx ucy isms': t

mfoa r ii

11 With austerities and without hypocrisy,
I have worshipped the Vedas, the precep-
tors, and the sacred fires and have learnt
the teaching of the Vedas and the preceptors.

“ Under the name of Bharata, I have also
laid bare the meaning of the Vedas.

‘ arorsfa 3Trr lift gITcJTT I

frf T * TT fa 5rgT5R^mff « II

“ Still, this soul of mine in this body,
though intrinsically master of itself and
foremost among those endowed with
spiritual radiance, is unhappy. *’

f^snricJTR i

srwmTT^rsnt stt? sftornrrfa: n

To the hermitage of that Vyasa, who
was thus pondering over the waste his
soul had been, Narada came, lute in hand,
and spoke, smiling a little :

GENESIS OF THE BHAGAVATA

fkurrftidJTyid ^ asr ^tTcsrt?^!
awrft Vm^TrJTHff^dTa *5T !T#ft «’

“You have composed the Bharata,
enriched with every idea. That eternal
thing, the Brahman, you have desired to
comprehend and you have comprehended.
And still, my Lord, you sorrow for your-
self as if you have not achieved your
purpose ”

4 St

«TTc*rr qrft amfr i

Vyasa :

“I do have all this you have said ; still,
my soul is not satisfied ; its imperceptible
cause that is too deep for me to under-
stand, I ask of you. the son of the
self-born Brahman.”

8

SRIMAD BHACAVATA

JT JP'tl II

Narada :

“The pure glory of the Lord has
almost not been sung by you. I think,
that philosophy whereby the Lord would
not be satisfied, is a waste.

‘ gforrfg ^fda r: i

?T rPIT JT^ITT II

“ In the manner in which, O best of
sages, Dharma and other ideas have been
described by you, the greatness of
Vasudeva has not been described.

‘ r T g T fcre T T ff

?nTTF*RR^T ^ TT ffrT Tfa ^

?g<*T fe r qmfo r htvw 11

“ That outpour of the Lord's story
washes away the sins of all humanity;
though there are flaws in it in every
verse, there are in it the names of the

GENESIS OF THE BHAGAVATA 9

imperishable Lord, marked with bis fame;
and for this reason do good men listen to,
sing and proclaim it to others.

* amt mrmPT

tv £ 1: C

snTTfsRrs3*rrr <Tfsr%fo?T^ii

“ Hence, you blessed Vyasa of unerring
insight, you who are of pure fame, truthful
and austere, recapitulate with concen-
tration for the release of all from bondage,
the doings ol the Lord who pervades the
whole universe with His great strides.

‘ srsr* I

snr sr^rfSr 11

“ This, O Brahmin, has been indicated
as the cure for the threefold miseries,
namely, the offering of action to the Lord,
the Master and Supreme Being.

‘ au r ru t w » ffi T«T T I

?I^T unrr 3[a$ * 550% fai^Kwr. 7 I

10

SRJMAD BHAGAVATA

^or'r ^ i

“ O Vyasa of excellent vows, that which
produces malady to beings does not itself
cure if administered as medicine. Thus are
all actions of men, cause only of transmi-
gration but, offered to the Supreme, they
become capable of destroying themselves.”

*i»TsrT*w 1 gft: 11

Having spoken thus, the blessed sage,
Narada, who had come there accidentally,
went away.

m arpjm srfar^«rt ir: *3^1

pwwiM faffarfata gfon

In that hermitage of his, Vyasa held his
mind in concentration, created this sacred
collection of the Bhagavata, arranged and
taught it to his son Suka who was
ever on the path of renunciation.

GENESIS OK THE BHAGAVATA

11

gfafe*: qWrH«4(i|SSISf5fTlft II

King Yudhishthira installed (as ruler) his
grandson, Parikshit, in Hastinapura.*

crsprnjqStq suqcfta; i

Parikshit married Iravati, the daughter of
Uttara and begot on her four sons,
Janamejaya and others.

snkfrat rnrr '•h'tsqiwta i
qqr^rrfqr^rq: qq: site ^nrfrrfo i
srRre^q sqjqrcq rrsf q qqq^q^ 11

Exceptionally righteous, that king,
Parikshit, lord and teacher of the world,
restored to Dharma its three lost feet,
penance, purity and compassion, soothed
(the suffering) Earth and made her prosper.

•Parikshit was the son of Abhimanyu and Uttara ;
Abhimanyu was the son of Arjuna, Yudhishthira’*
younger brother. Parikshit was born a corpse as
a result of the deadly missile aimed at his mother’s
womb by Asvattliaman. Krishna brought him to
life by His power. He succeeded the Pandavas on bh*
throne. Soe The MaJtabharata (G. A. Natesan & Co.>
pp. 375-383 and 445 seq.

12

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

srgssnar f^Rr^nrarr ^ i
<piG^i <r: «TF?t: ^farTSsfacft *T5Ht i
gfjnrrcft* srre i

<T>mjrnniT^?Tii

Taking his bow, he once went hunting
in the forests and pursuing animals, he
became tired, hungry and very thirsty.
He saw a hermit, sitting with closed eyes
in quietude ; his throat being parched, he
begged water of that sage in that state.

Not receiving a kind word of welcome,
worship or seat, the king considered himself
insulted and became enraged.

msro [ a&k] ^ H

In him, who was being agonised by
hunger and thirst, there arose suddenly
what had never before arisen against a
Brahmin, anger and a hatred of his
superiority.

GENESIS OF THE BHAGAVATA

13

f^ru 5 ^hi<ih\ ii

While going away f;om him, Parikshit
angrily placed, with the tip of his bow, a
dead snake on the shoulder of that Brahmin
sage and returned to his city.

tTPT SJc^T I

5r^sr%?i*mT5 5rrf%r «’

The son of that sage, a man of
exceeding spiritual power, heard (of this)
and said this there: “ Now that Lord
Krishna, the chastiser of the erring, is gone,

I shall chastise the transgressors; witness
my prowess/’

f^Rsrciil 5 1

4 55%Rnrrft aw srafcssft i

.■ ’n

Having spoken thus, the boy delivered a
curse, his eyes red with rage : “ Instigated

by me, (the serpent) Takshaka shall, on the-
seventh day (from now), bite this blight of
his family, this enemy of my father, who
has thus trangressed the bounds.”

14

SRIMAD BHAC.AVATA

srnipjrt i

‘ 3T^t ^RTTft JTf^r $CT-
*T^T% jftl ; 3^*Tt 'qzi II

Hearing that the king, who did not deserve
that, had been cursed, the Brahmin commend-
ed not his son. (He said :) “ Alas ! you

unknowing (boy) ! a great sin has been
committed by you ; for a trifling wrong, a
great punishment has been resorted to.

‘ q r frm gt ?H?qrf?r: sr g srars; i

“ The king is the guardian of Dharma
and that Parikshit is an emperor of great
renown, a great devotee of the Lord, a
sage among kings and a perlormer of
horse-sacrifices. Pitiable with fatigue,
hunger and thirst, he hardly deserves a
curse from us.”

GENESIS OK THE BHAGAVATA 15

yisa rifr *rts3?rm Jrsnjfa: i
tstt ?cm Hsrr^- 11

Thus did the great sage repent for the
•sin committed by his son ; himself
wronged by the king, he did not think at
all of that wrong.

cTr^rir sts
fefe??TSmTrJT^ ^^THTT: I
ST STT^ Ttt ST^r'tOT cT^RTT-

ssttrs* II

And the king then brooded over, with
a very depressed heart, that despicable
act committed by him and considered
welcome the fire of (the serpent) Takshaka
as a means to dispassion, tor him who had
much attachment.

3Wt f^T^WJTg =9T

16

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Then, leaving aside this world as well
as the other, both of which he had already
judged as things that must be cast
away, he regarded service at the feet
of Krishna as greater and sat on the
banks of the celestial river (the Ganges),
vowing to fast unto death.

He meditated, with no other thought,
on the feet of Lord Hari, taking to a sage’s
austerities, and leaving all attachments.

*T5rg*nr^r g^wrar«ir* 1
gparel rrerr ^

fa fe Th % d r? 11

There came, along with pupils, great
sages who sanctified the world. Honouring
them, the king, with his pure mind,
announced what he desired to do.

GENESIS OF THE BHAGAVATA

17

551 ^ *TFra f^pTTOP I

gw

sRff^r i

JT5r^ q-pTTg^rr^^

*b*n=g srshc *Wt %^VT: H’

“ Let the wily Takshaka urged by the
Brahmin bite me by all means ; sing you
the lays of the Lord. Let me have
devotion to the imperishable Lord and
communion with His devotees. Whatever
birth I take, let me have good-will
towards all great men ; obeisance to
the Brahmins.”

mum a*i(*H ^n^rgsft

*Tl t>*FT T « TT < re wwivi^iH t i

gf* grt «rpm?fts>3^r

f*T*r ll

x

18

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

There the divine son of Vyasa, Suka,
arrived accidentally, wandering as he was
all over the world, looking forward to
nothing. The royal devotee of God,
Parikshit, approached him, bowed to him
and enquired of him in pleasing words :

‘ 3^*% fiff T HIMUg ST&IT I

mtt watt st srfe n’

“ What a dying person should, at any
cost, do, listen to or worship, or what he
should not, tell me.*’

q/prorrfacT: ^ *tstt u

Thus addressed and requested by the
king, Suka replied.

—

‘ % STSff: $rTT II

Suka —

“ Most excellent is this enquiry of yours ;
for, O King, this is for the good of
the world.

‘ sreregrft fr srfer i

arWJSmpJTrTr^ II

GENESIS OF THE BHAGAVATA

19

u Great King, to those householders
who, attached to their families, do not
realise the Truth of SeV, things that should
be listened to, thought of and worshipped
exist in thousands.

‘ ag TT -rfJ TcT ^T^frJTT Soften:: I

tl Therefore, O scion ot Bharata, he who
desires That cn realising which fear ceases
to exist, must listen to the glories of Lord
Hari, the master and the soul of every-
thing, must sing of Him and think of Him.

‘ 3WT55W: VC: «TCTTJTi% qTOMWCA&t II

“ The greatest fruit of men having
taken a body, is the memory of Narayana
during their last moments.

* aqrfrdfl qfowr mxk sft fearefa : i

arwgqh re r frhn n.

u Scion of Kuru, there are still seven
days for your life to come to an end and
ere that time, prepare ali that which would
lead you to salvation.

20

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

et% g »rararasr: i

3 | ^

“ When end has come, man should lay
aside tear and cut with the sword of detach-
ment his love for the body and for those
who have arisen in the wake of that love,
(his wife, children and kinsmen).

* IT feref fe r cF&T cT^ 5W: II

44 Obeisance unto that Lord whose incarna-
tions and deeds myself and others sing of,
but whom we have not yet learnt in truth t

‘ ftrersr fcs# sst*

4< He is pure knowledge itself ; that which

is the innermost of everything ; that firmly
established thing about which there is no
doubting ; He is Truth itself ; that full thing
that has neither beginning nor end ; He is
the attributeless, the eternal and (the one
that is) without a second.

GENESIS OF THE BHAGAVATA 21

qwra^ 1

'TT II

“ Whatever in this universe is endowed
with superior powers, is effulgent, virile,
capable of suffering, strong, and patient;
whatever is endowed with beauty ; whatever is
endowed with a sense of shame at doing
wrong ; whatever is endowed with prosperity
and self-possession ; whatever is wonderfully
resplendent, whatever has a fine form, whatever
is subtle, — (all this) is that Great Principle.

‘ srrarwraT spur snrRfo

*3*8^ ?T ?TTT^ II

“ These sportful incarnations of that
boundless Spirit which the sages consider
as the chief ones, which purify the ears
of those that ardently listen to them and
which are most beautiful, I shall relate.

II sft: II

THE STORY OK THE BOaR-INCARNaTION

:o:

3Tl%3fJT5r aTTcJTrSSrJTTI folji I
sir *r si?srf : srf^f^rforenr i
trurr Jim [jrsrom] ^ Own Org; 11

In the beginning of this universe, there
was the Lord alone, the all-pervasive soul
of all beings. There was also the mystic
power of this Lord, the spectator, the power
known as Maya which is of the form of

cause and effect and with which the all*
pervading Lord created this universe.

rr^rss^X

3i£tapn%fa5nrpr
$H3WP snrraisrl fans: n

VARAHA AVATARA

23

This universe was flooded with water at
that time (of creation) ; and lying on those
waters, on the bed of f he great serpent,
the one Being of never-closing eyes, closed
His eyes (in mystic sleep), bereft of any
yearning and choosing to revel in the bliss
of His own self.

*C3T*TT dJffcTT^

JTTfvT^mt. II

Enwombing the subtle essence of all
things within His body, He dwelt on
those waters which formed His abode.
The very subtle principle within Him,
desiring to evolve as a result of the active
quality, burst forth at that time through his
navel.

sr q mt g ra i fd

^Tts^c.

«T^^T^5y *T| fyiMl^l i II

24

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

It suddenly shot up as a lotus-bud. In
it was born of himself the creator who is
of the form of the Vedas and who is called
Svayambhu, the self- born. Entering on
concentration, he sat (on the lotus there).

9JT&T HtSSTt

After a time, that creator beheld that
one Being who was lying (asleep) shining
in his own heart. Desiring to create, he
fastened his mind on that Being in the
inscrutable realm and praised that praise-
worthy Lord :

i

tflsi WURfSHTdl STTcITT

ir «^*43??5fdr«!ui55

VARAHA AVATARA

25

“ I seek this form of yours that is the
sole source of hundreds of incarnations and
embodies (within itself) the beings and
their faculties. May you infuse my mind
with the knowledge and the power with
which you, this Lord, friend and one soul
of the universe, make (the universe) happy,
so that I shall create and yet avoid the
stain attending that act.*’

sfo m sT H —

1 sssri sn^^r wr; i

The Lord —

“ What you pray of me, I have already
secured for you ; your soul shall not be
lost in this (act of creation) of yours ; for,
profuse have been my blessings to you.

‘ 3I£WWT5S?*RT «TRT: s Tgjg re fcT q prftr I

3?rfr ^f?r fsnr. n

“ O creator ! I am the soul of those
souls for the sake of which bodies and
other objects are dear, being thus the
dearest of even the very dear ; therefore,
one should have his love for me.

26

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘ JTSTT^ra uwr$jk *rr*r *r«T3$rc:% n’

“ (Now,) create, as you did in the
previous cycle, the beings that are
imbedded in Me.”

ctot = 3% 1

crmr firsm

The creator did as the unborn Lord
told him. With his penance and know-
ledge, he sportfully created the worlds
that had previously dissolved (into the Lord)*

?^7T Jiwt r^r nrq; i

ffk sparl ferer 11

But seeing tht? earth lost at that time in
the midst of waters, the creator thought
for a long time of how he could lift
her up.

‘ ip&Tk sr tsrr Sr n’

“ May that Master from whose heart
I had my being do me (what is needful).”

S^frpSTFrrft pTST*] I

VARAHA AVATARA

21

From the nostril of the creator who
was thus meditating, there issued out, of
a sudden, a little Boar, of the size of
the thumb.

J 1 3W T 5P srefS* II

Even as the creator was looking on, that
Boar which was standing in the skies
grew as big as an elephant within a
moment ; looking like a great mountain,
it roared.

fora

Roaring again, the Lord Himself who
embodied the sacrifice and had taken the
guise of the Boar, dived into the waters.

50T I

28

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Lifting with His tusk the earth which
was submerged, He rose up from the
nether world and looked resplendent. There,
(in the nether world) the Lord, whose
prowess none can withstand, killed the
prime demon (Hiranyaksha)* who attacked
Him with his mace and obstructed Him.

The creator and other (sages and gods)
extolled the Master who was lifting up the
earth, with the ease ot an elephant
(lifting a little object).

♦Thje story of Hiranyaksha : Onoe Sanaka and
other sons of Braluna went to Vishnu's abode in
Vaikuntha to worship Him and they were prevented
from entering the sanctum by Jaya and Vijaya,
the door-keepers of Vishnu. For this rudeness,
Jaya and Vijaya were cursed to be bora as demons.
They are first born as the prime domon -twins,
Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksha, in the womb of Diti.
The latter is slain by the Lord in the Varaha avatara
and the former in the Narasimha avatara. They
are again born as Havana and Kumbhakaroa to
be slain in the Rama avatara and once again as
Sisupala and Dantavaktra to be slain in the Krishna
avatara. These successive encounters with the Lord
and death at His hands purify them and they
ultimately regain the divine state which was theirs
foeforc their fall.

VARAHA AVATARA

29 -

sr %jm *rci *pt 1 sfo it

Lord Hari thus established the earth on*
the waters and disappeared.

ii fftr *(* T gMdrc*> qrr 11

THUS ENDS THE STORV OF THE
BOAR- INCARNATION.

II sft: II

ii 11

O

THE STORY OF THE INCARNATION
AS KAPILA

wmn a^a nfo r: i

Being told by (the Creator) Brahma to
procreate human beings, the divine
Kardama* sought with devotion (Lord)
Hari who liberally bestows boons on those
who seek Him.

AMcirtret wrrnK ^Wnrw a ^ \\

Becoming gracious (towards Kardama),
the Lord showed him His fcrm.

* Kardama : The creator Brahma who was bom
of the navel-lotus of t he Lord created the elements,
the world of animals and trees and then the sages and
divine beings. Among the last were Daksha, Kardama
and others who were the progenitors of the human
race (Prajapatis).

KAPILA AVATARA

31

* g d re fdgafrg T g ri n fewT g rere rer i

3nrrr^ir?mJnit ;u*?i?*T3W 3 4' srm 11

The Lord —

44 Great sage ! the Emperor (Manu)*, the
son of the Creator, will go (here) with his
queen Satarupa and will give in marriage
his daughter (Devahuti) to you who are a
meet husband lor her.

m ^g?*rr tarofami it’

44 Great Sage, partially maniiesting myself
through your energy in thy wife Devahuti,

I shall found a system of philosophy.’’

* Manu is the first man. After creating the sages
and divine boitigs, Brahma felt that he could not yet
bring into being the human species and as he was
feeling thus, his form divided into two, a male
and a female. The male is Manu, the first man
and emperor ; he is called Svayambhuva Manu, i.e.,
Manu born of the Creator, Svayambhu. The female
was Satarupa who became Manu’s queen and from
this prime-couple, the human species began to
develop. Two sons, Priyavrata and Uttanapada, and
three daughters, Akuti, Devahuti and Prasuti, were
born to Manu and Satarupa. Manu gives Devahuti
in marriage to Kardama Prajapati and of those two is
bom sage Kapila, an incarnation of the Lord to bless
the world with spiritual enlightenment.

32

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

arr^ - w srraviwv- i

gw n q ! w w qa T fo q sre tgT wgn n

Then, after the Lord (the pure Being)
had disappeared, the divine sage Kardama
was staying at (lake) Bindusaras, awaiting
the time (of Manu s arrival). (Manu,) the
first of Kings, along with his daughter,
came to (Kardamas) hermitage.

‘ ifeiT *ro i

grfc ^ sfo <rfir grR vrm afag g n* ft ir

Manu —

“ This daughter of mine, the sister of
Priyavrata and Uttanapada, seeks a suitable
husband ; accept her whom I give in
marriage to you.”

‘ «r d^ T fusi T ’ it

Kardama —

“ Surely I am desirous of marrying and
your daughter has not yet been given in
marriage to anybody.”

KAPILA AVATARA

33

fwvnCTw ^ gsai siff$a: II

After learning clearly the resolve of his
queen and of his daughter, Manu with
great delight gave in marriage to the sage,
who was rich with a multitude of virtues,
his daughter who was equal (to the sage
in her qualities).

After a long time, Lord Hari entered the
energy of Kardama and was born of
Devahuti, like fire of wood.

sr fay wwra snwnd h

And Kardama, understanding his son as
God incarnate, spoke.

‘ «dtr^ STTST

a cSTTsfag^S^ <rfir JHIRTHI
'mWtfcM <**C1*TT r JRTtJy

ari dk gsrfarertsr: ii

34

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

“ I take refuge in Kapila whose power is
dependent on Himself alone. I now take
leave of you (Kapila), the Lord of all
beings. Taking to the path of the
Sannyasin, I shall move about, fixing you
in my heart and bereft of all sorrow.*’

sfoTron;—

‘ TO 3ffiTO«ltS5TOlT TO: TOHT I

£ fafe tot ii

The Lord —

“ This secret path for realising the self
has been lost for a long time. Know that
this [ body has been taken by me to
restore it.

* TOsJ 3TO TOT *T^T I

fsTrarT TOpTgrTrTOT *TT *T3T It

“ Go as you please ; you are permitted
by me ; with your action offered up to Me,
conquer the very invincible Death and
seek Me for Immortality.

* *tt£ s m anfo reft firor qfrwi q nr i

TOT TO WT^TcTft'KT% II

KAPILA AVATARA

35

“ I shall impart to my mother (aiso) the
spiritual knowledge that puts an end to all
action, whereby she too shall overcome
Fear.”

sprite smw s ii

So told by Kapila, Kardama went away
to the forests.

farft irrg: i

On the retirement of His lather to the
forests, Lord Kapila, desiring to do what
was dear to His mother, took his abode
near the lake Bindusara.

‘ srcro?* hit srm i
n srrm gsrrjrtard t i

<sn>g r rwsrrspw *#r%r: i

it ^ *rms*terar§ ii’

Devahuti told her son : “ Lord, I am

in the utter darkness (of nescience). You
are that prime Being, the Lord and Master

36

SRIMAD BHAGAVaTA

of all men, risen like the sun who is
the eye of this world, which is blinded
with darkness. Therefore, O God ! you
must remove my gross ignorance.**

‘ *tt*t auran^nr: tot fa:»TOT*T i
tffmr ^ srcraFTTfo *rt*T q g f y ftgqn 11

The Lord —

u The Yoga of self-knowledge is con-
sidered by me as the means of attaining
the eternal weal ; and that yoga which is
efficiency itself in every respect, I shall
expound to you.

‘ %ct: w&nzt toift ^Trrnfr wan \

<rfa n

“ The mind it is that is held as the
cause of the soul’s bondage as well as of
its release ; engrossed in material objects
of enjoyment, it makes for bondage ; if
it revels in the spirit, it makes for
emancipation.

KAPILA AVATARA

37

* SKHR 3 K TTSUTTrUH: 5RW l

*r s* srrgs ^fr JTt^scmnn^ 11

“ Attachment to evil, men of vision
consider as the never-slackening bondage
of the soul ; the same attachment, if it is
with the good souls, becomes the open
entrance to deliverance.

‘ fo foqre : I

arHrcTsnrer: vr^T^rvre: 11

“ Good men are they who are

forbearing and compassionate, who are

friends to all beings and for whom there
has never been any foe, who are mild and
for whom their character is the ornament.

JTctrr^r^rfvrc^TT i

^nrt fir?r stititt gcrar

*n?rr tgrfrn^ it

Some desire not oneness with Me,

delighting as they do in service at My feet
and yearning for Me, — those for whom I am
the object of love, the soul, son, companion,
teacher, friends and the deity beloved.

38

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

cft^ir *rfo*n*t?r jptt n

!

“ Only this much is the fulfilment of
everlasting welfare in this world for men,
namely, the firm offering of the mind to
Me with intense devotion.

1 ssrvrofror 5r*3rT finite fa r &m »
Isn^pr sparer mngfiw im*.* i
irtsawfcfawir i
ftprii^T^T \

srft^TT ^mr^Tfc^: i

agfsnr m- stH <3rr*mr: switch \

qfafro^spnrfar t jt^ii

“ Performing one’s Dharma up to his

capacity, turning away Irom what is another s
Dharma, contentment with what is one’s
lot by destiny, worshipping the feet of men
of self-realisation, abstaining from doing the
low and vulgar, and taking pleasure in the
Dharma that would lead to liberation.

KAPILA AVATARA

3 *

eating pure food in moderation, frequently
re sorting to the security of solitude, non-
injury, truthfulness, non-stealing, taking no
more than the necessary amount of material'
possession, restraint in sexual enjoyment,
penance, personal purity, study cf scriptures,
worship of God, — by these and other ways
mind casts off its impurity.

srwft fonmrrir 11

tl He who practises devotion to me,
contemplating harm (to other beings), with
pride and malice, ostentatious and seeing
difference (everywhere), is one who is
impelled by ignorance.

‘ ftqqp rf frqvvf PT zrsj ttrarfrfo 3T l

*r *cr*rer: 11

“ He who, contemplating objects of
enjoyment, fame or riches, worships Me
in images and the like — that man who
also has the sense of difference, is one who
is prompted by passion.

40

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘ *>4ft g fcg f % gr ^<5^ i

s ret qgs qfa fo *r *r *rrfw 5 : 11

“ He who offers his worship to the
Supreme with the object of doing away
with both good and evil, or worships Him
because he must, is one informed by
knowledge, though he also has the sense
of difference.

‘*5 I

crarwpr *ri m*h ii

“ I, the soul of all beings, am always
present in all beings ; ignoring me
who am there, this mortal man performs
the mockery of image-worship.

‘ m jtt *rig i

W\\

“ He who leaves Me (who am) present
as Soul and Master in all beings, and, in his
stupidity, seeks an image, verily pours his
offering on the ashes (and not in the fire).

«Rtg ST *T*T; II

KAPILA AVATARA

.41

“ The mind of that person who hates
me in the bodies of others, is conceited,
differentiates, and is inimical towards
beings, does not attain peace.

“ O ! Sinless (mother)!, I am not satisfied
in the least if worshipped in my image,
with the ritual begun with manifold
paraphernalia, by him who insults all
beings.

^rrarsr it

“ Doing his duty, one should worship
Me, the Master, in images and the like only
so long as he does not in his heart realise
Me as established within all beings.

‘ am jtt totctr i

“ Therefore, one should honour with
gifts and respect, with friendlineas and
an eye which is not invidious, Me who,

as the soul of all beings, have my temple
in all beings.

42

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘ wgrrft srJT^sfflrnPT^. i

fcwid ^fawraraT srfost snnrTftrfo 11

“ Honouring all these beings, one should
bow to them with his mind, thinking that
the Lord and Master has entered them
all as the immanent spirit.

‘ it w a g ra T fefa : i

JPW *TFTT II

“ Bear in your heart these thoughts of
mine which the expounders of the Supreme
Spirit cherish ; by these you shall attain
Me who am birthless and those who know
them not go to death.”

<TPTTrJHt i

^swnrr 11

Showing thus His path to that virtuous
woman, the Lord Kapila disappeared on
being permitted by his mother who had
spoken of matters of the Spirit with him.

m grrfa m Sfarfiror : i

3TFJTR sr^r vPT^atrarr s ll

KAPILA AVATARA

43

And the mother, Devahuti also, by the
path shown by her son, soon attained
that Supreme Lord who is Himself one’s
soul, the universal soul and the final 1
beatitude.

it <Efas u i a i w ir ii

THUS ENDS THE STORY OF THE
INCARNATION AS KAPILA

II sfts II

ii wrefam n

:o:

THE STORY OF DHRUVA

-O

wnri 5T* rafc grtTi II

Priyavrata and Uttanapada, the sons of
Hanu, the husband of Satarupa, imbued
with an element of God Vasudeva, were
engaged in protecting the world.

t!r5^T?T V-JSH

3

There were two wives to Uttanapada,
Suniti and Suruchi ; of the two, Suruchi
was the beloved of her lord, and not the
other, whose son was Dhruva.

Q3S[T ganfaffKW I

sNr ^nrTsvnr^r 11

THE STORY OF DHRUVA

45

Once, taking Uttama, the son of Suruchi,
on his lap and fondling him, the king did
not like Dhruva who also desired to get
on his lap.

am a STraarerca jrn^i
g g fawgdl *Tsr: ^afargT^Fif^cn II

As the king was listening, the exceedingly
haughty Suruchi told Dhruva, her co-wife’s
son, who was desiring to get upon the lap
of his father :

‘ a aaa *r*iRr<t3JT£fe i

a *r^tat am i|r$rrafa -nrann i
Jr atf maararra sarcraq^ h’

“ Child, you do not deserve to get upon
the king’s throne ; for, though the son of
the king, you were not born of my womb.
If you desire to be seated with the king
contrive to be born of me.”

*«T: yK rec«rr sgaforfosrt

5PTT7T *TTg: I

agn are

ftSTRT WT55T II

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

46

Pierced by these very sharp words of
his step-mother, Dhruva approached his own
mother, weeping bitterly. Youthful Suniti
took her boy on her lap, heard of what
had taken place and told him :

‘ cTTcT

^ VRT?lT

i

*r«rr 11’

“ Child, do not think ill of others ; for
man but reaps the misery he has caused
to others. Suruchi hath spoken but truth ;
for you have been borne in the womb
of an unfortunate woman. Worship the
lotus-feet of God Hari if you desire the
high seat like Uttama.”

^ffa gTT t * M TI5f*TH fjTSrWT fag: 5^ «

THE STORY OF DHRUVA

47

Hearing bis mothers words thus
blabbered (in grief), words which were
(destined) to accomplish his object, Dhruva
controlled his mind himself and went out
of his father’s city.

«rrfitaT xtk ftfora: n

Hearing of that (departure of Dhruva) and
understanding what he desired to do, Narada
(who met him) touched him on his head
with his sin-destroying palm and wondering
(at him), said :

‘ ^ *T*n% srrsfa 3^ 1

apiq: iTJTP^q af ters I

“ Child, to you who are yet a boy
engrossed with your toys and the like, I
do not see how any insult or honour is
possible.

48

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

“ Though there is the difference of insult
and honour, there are (really) no causes
for discontent for a man except his ignorance ;
for, in (this) world, men are different
because of their own actions.

s** 11

“ Therefore, dear child, the wise man
should content himself with that which
destiny has provided for him, under-
standing the design of the Master.

W I ^TTTWT JT-TT *TJT II

“ Further, He whose grace you desire to
obtain through the Yoga taught by your
mother, He, I consider, is hard to be
propitiated by men.

“ Therefore, may you turn back ; this
tenacity of thine is futile ; thou shouldst
make (all these) efforts when the propitious
time comes.

THE STORY OF DHRUVA

49

‘ f ii«i|V4»IT<^ I

*bff <wwm ' fi*£w »’

“ A man should desire to be pleased with
one who is superior to him in endowments ;
to be sympathetic to one who is inferior
in endowments ; and should seek friendliness
with one who is equal in endowments ;
(doing thus), he is not overcome by
heart-burnings/’

wn—

‘ wtft JOTfTT I

^rar: tot sfsrfswfie^j m u

Dhruva —

“ This way of composing oneself has
been kindly shown by your blessed self to
men who are assailed with pleasure and
pain, a path hardly perceivable by persons
like myself.

‘ snrrfa ttsfMter** vfogfrg* : i

4

50

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

“ Still, (this advice of yours) does not
enter (this) heart of mine that is pierced
with the shafts of Surichi’s sharp words,
this heart of myself who am unsubdued
and violently militant in spirit.

faster? 3T«rr=!r?fafs?.-- h’

" (Therefore), O, Brahmin sage ! tell the
successful path to me who am desirous of
winning that place which would be the
highest in (all) the three worlds, a place
which neither our ancestors nor others
ever occupied.”

‘ arew nrfafkfr: <r«ip $r I i

jrnj *T5f f?c*T?T |

*R?IT I

si <rwt gti? s£*rar i* i

“art mgfri w n” ’

THE STORY OF DHRUVA

51

Narada —

“ The path which your mother told you of
is for your salvation. Therefore, my child,
may welfare attend you ; go to the pure bank
of the Yamuna, the forest of Madhuvana
where there is the eternal presence of
God Hari. With a constant and one-
pointed mind you should meditate upon
the munificent Lord with a smile and a
look of love. And prince, hearken to this
greatest and (most) secret Mantra that must
be meditated upon and repeated : * Om,

obeisance unto Lord Vasudeva V’

qfafWT STOW 3T ^TT^: I

So told, that child-prince, Dhruva, went
round Narada, bowed to him and went to
the sacred Madhuvana marked with the
footprints of Lord Hari.

m qregmm gr sprt staarerftr* n

52

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

According to sage Narada’s instruction,
he attentively worshipped the Supreme Being.
Contemplating the Brahman, he stood on
one leg, motionless like the trunk of a tree.
As he was holding his mind on the
Brahman, the three worlds shook.

g I fern 4frifamengwi '

Suddenly losing sight of Him who was
flashing like a lightning within the lotus-
bud of his heart, as a result of his intellect
becoming keen by the fruition of the
Yoga, Dhruva (opened his eyes) and saw
Him standing outside in the same manner.

*■ tCGIL ? I

THE STORY OF DHRUVA

53

With fear coming upon him on seeing the
Lord, the boy (Dhruva) prostrated himself on
the ground, throwing his body down like a
stick, looking at Him intently as if he were
drinking Him in with his eyes, appearing to
kiss Him with his mouth %nd embrace Him
with numerous arms.

Lord Hari, who is established in his as
well as all others’ hearts, finding him
desirous of speaking but innocent ol speech,
kindly touched on the cheek, with his
conch which embodies the Vedas, the boy
who was (standing) with folded hands.

I afaro at fat
a vrfanrnrts^rws ^«r%fas n

'■o

Obtaining the power of speech at that
very moment, Dhmva for whom God had
already reserved a permanent place, sang
of Him in his devotion :

64

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘ srf^r qre fam st^ht

WHS TT I

3T«*n» g ^qui^u re qT TT 'flqi
g ro wi! 5 ^r gwn* 11

“Obeisance urjto you, the Lord and
Supreme Being who holds within Him all
powers and who, entering me, kindles to life
with His power this speech of mine that
was dormant, as also my hands, feet, ears,
the senses of touch and the rest, and my
very life-breaths.

gq-fasj q nfcd

firar^n 3*T3<js«rf^ i

sr<rcr h’

“ I seek refuge in Thee who art that
from which, one after another, Learning
and other manifold powers fall away
with their progress arrested every
time, — that Brahman, the source of the
Universe, the One, the Endless, the First,
that which is Bliss itself and is the
Immutable.”

THE STORY OF DHRUVA

55

araifijgcT ^ ll

Thus extolled, the Lord said this then :

‘ sk ^ zfk i

*nt ^ ^nWtr fpra n
srRfcfaf&r *5 ^nfoPioj sra%foi
*nr ^T^rrrTPTT sqif^ri *

“ Young prince ! I know what resolve
there is in your heart; welfare unto you;
O, you of excellent vow, I shall grant
that (object of yours) to you, though
it is hard to be attained, namely*
that resplendent permanent place, O auspi-
cious (lad) 1 which is not occupied by
anybody else, and around which is set the
wheel of the luminaries, the planets, stars
and constellations.

‘ srfenfr g ** fasrr *ri snfchsnr: i

erat «re rr fa *TrW* *mt snrsrcfr *nn n’

56

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

“When, handing over the kingdom (to
you), your father retires to the forests, you
shall, upholding Dharma, protect the king-
dom for thirty-six thousand years, with
your faculties unimpaired. And having
enjoyed the rightful things with which you will
be blessed, you shall think of me in the
end ; and then shall you go to my
place, whence one returns not."

sm^r JTrf^frs«nrrf3^ n

Even as the lad was looking on, God
Hari departed to His abode. And the lad
also, though he had attained what he had
wished for, returned to the city, not very
much pleased.

wr.—

sroro a wq r wra i

Vnri^?JT*TT%S? TO H TO f&f fTO t II”

(Dhruva said unto himself :) “ This has been

s ought by me in vain, like medicine
sought after life had departed. Having

THE STORY OF DHRUVA

57

propitiated by my penance the Soul c* the
universe who is hard to be pleased, I, this
unfortunate self, begged of the destroyer
of the misery of birth and death, that
misery itself.

‘ *rs^cft irWr^wi Jr i

ii’

u Alas ! in my folly I have begged for
honour of Him who gives the sovereignty
of the self, like the pauper who begged
of the king chaff, as a result of his
misfortune. ”

srforej fag: q-T^r^^ftf^Tfinrf^rar: i
•RR WTcRl ||

Bowing at the feet of his father and
welcomed by him with blessings, Dhruva,
respected (by all) and foremost among the
good, bent his head in reverence to his
two mothers.

58

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Suruchi lifted that lad who had bowed
at her feet, embraced him and in a tone
tremulous with tears said : “ Live long.

swstt i

jmfcr war^r f^rorr vi it

To him whom Lord Hari hath favoured
as a result of his virtues of universal
friendliness and the rest, all beings bend
low, even as waters turn of themselves
towards the low-lying place.

3PT?ft fiPT i

3»r?j5«r sre re r fc ii

And Suniti, his mother, embraced her
son, dearer to her than her life, and feeling
beatified by the touch of his limbs, cast
her anguish away.

"TrapS • srora i

gr i

g gr sKH fr [toit] wg g% gg:

THE STORY OF DHRUVA

59 *

The royal sage Uttanapada, hearing of
and himself seeing that most wonderful
greatness of his son, and seeing also the
consent of the subjects, made Dhruva,.
beloved of the subjects, the lord of the
Kingdom.

SR STTfanfej^TTclRt II

Seeing himself very old, king Uttanapada,
becoming detached, started out to the
forests thinking of the way to self-realisation.

^ft sparer i

^StfsScJTfc cfacfmfaR fa^"

Dhruva propitiated with sacrifices the
Lord of the sacrifices ; with devotion to
(that) imperishable Being, he saw
established in himself and in all beings
only that all-pervading God.

fcfat fast ST3TT5 II

The subjects looked on Dhruva,.
endowed with such conduct, as their father

-60

SR1MA.D BHAGAVATA

tra to gftarr g wwrwm t i

gforni it

Thus spending a long time, Dhruva, for
whom Lord Hari was the greatest resort,
^became (the pole-star) which is like a
pure crest-jewel to the three worlds.*

il sf?r wsFrfbrn n

THUS ENDS THE STORY OF DHRUVA

• Dhruva became the pole-star in the end. Thi»
is the permanent place (Dhruvakshiti) which the
Lord had promised him.

II II

ii -■ ii

THE STORY OF THE INCARNATION
AS KING PRITHU

Sunitha, the wife of (king) Anga*, gave
birth to the terrible Vena.

st srra: srftrcft u

As a boy, he was butchering the
boys who were playing, as one butchers
animals.

* After Dhruva, his eldest son Utkala having
become desireless of kingdom, his next son Vatsara
became king. Vatsara’s wife gave birth to six sons;
the eldest of these, Pushparna begot six sons on his
two wives. The last of these, Vyushta, had a son
named Sarvatejas by his wife named Pushkarioi. Of
Sarvatejas and Akuti was born the Manu namad
Chakshus. Chakshusha Manu had twelve sons, the
last of whom, Ulinuka begot six sons, the eldest of
whom was Anga.

€2

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

?r ssn£ 5 * tt ii

Seeing his son wicked, king Anga
•became very depressed in mind.

ST sotART Htft qSR*.

feqT ’im %st§#' ST5<RT^ ||

Thus disgusted, king Anga went away
from the palace abandoning the sleeping
mother of Vena.

5 pm srfafRT i

sr^RTSnRT ^sflnarfass^ 3^: II

The sages, Bhrigu and others, who have
always the security of the world in view,
anointed as King, Vena, who was not
acceptable to the subjects.

*T5mmrRT5^wTTf^?R^cr: i

ST ST^SST ST 5fraoq- sr SRs* fe^TT: sjrf^ I

ir^mnr sr&r: n

Haughty and imagining himself great, he
insulted the eminent. “ Brahmins ! You should
not perform sacrifices ; you should not make
any gifts ; you should not offer any oblations
anywhere . 11 Thus did he prohibit Dharma
by the beat of drum everywhere.

PRITHU AVATAR A

63

* 3 TCt HTTH &&&& *T 5 gj

qnPWJWtTt 3ftH aWJTFNlt: II
s wan K T raifo nsns^&ns i
gdU c greiteq Fwzr w zmc&rfer %fk*ni 11
%?r; si^hr sr BmfgriH I jnrr: i
<rorsfa ^rr^^ing ?rr^n^T?^rrT% h*

“ Alas, from thieves and from the tyrant,
from both the sides, is the world faced
with great calamity, like a log of wood
burning at both ends. Out of fear for
anarchy, this undeserving Vena was made
king and from him also has fear come now.
How can there be welfare for the people ?
Vena is wicked by nature and he desires
to destroy the subjects. Still we shall
pacify him so that the sin of having made
him king shall not attach to us. ’

grot i

^tTETHnaep^ =q CTirfc: n

'O

Resolving thus, the sages approached
Vena with their anger concealed, and told
him, conciliating him with gentle words :

64

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

4< Let not that Dharma which is the welfare
of your subjects disappear from you; when
it disappears, the king falls down from
his power.

‘7*7 *1% 5* #7 TTTTft^T^ I

7*7 wt 75T7PT 777Flftg*7ft l

smcrnfts^:^ 11’

“ The Lord is pleased with that King in
whose country and city, O blessed king !
the Lord is worshipped by the people ;
and what is unattainable when that King
of kings is pleased ? '*

%7J—

Trfosrr 77 ?j7 tt srsm 7J?7rft7: i
^ ffrP? 7ft ftcTT 5TTT T fo gT re ft II ■

Vena —

i€ You are either childish or you imagine
Dharma in what is Adharma, — you who
ignore the husband who maintains you
and adore the clandestine lover.

PR1THU AVATARA

65

nfc -str* sr ftrs^r: iwrt qrcsrmts i
^ «rcfer g^r^?i^appfr ^r? i
gre r rm ^ffvrffsrr ?nn*r mnrecun n’

44 Vishnu, Brahma, Siva, Indra, Vayu,
Yama, Surya, — these and other gods, who
have it in their power to bless or curse,
are present in the body of the king ; the
king is the embodiment of all gods.
Therefore, without malice for me, you
Brahmins, worship me with sacrifices and
rites.”

i

Thus insulted by Vena, the sages grew

angry; and with their anger mounting up,
they struck down with the (fatal)
sound of 4 Hum’, Vena, (already) killed by
his insulting the imperishable Lord.

*T 5 **ri *r mgR r*ri it

finwftj «F»sr qgar fo ttcrcnn t&xw i
afro fi sfftssiStssmfaft ii

5

66

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Of the arms of king Vena who died
childless, the arms that were being churned
by Brahmins, was born a couple : a partial
manifestation of Lord Vishnu, Prithu by
name, who was to be an emperor of
great renown ; and the imperishable
Goddess Lakshmi, always devoted to Vishnu,
was born after Prithu as Archis.

d’W r fafrf r snrsvfT 11

Brahmins, the expounders of the Godhead,
performed the coronation of that Prithu.

jfmr ^ sn^s-rr sttw u

He was the most eminent among those
who upheld Dharma ; he made the world
follow Dharma, guarded its bounds and
chastised its enemies.

sirafaT f^WT^ll

Having the patience of Mother Earth,
he was ever sympathetic to the beings
in suffering.

snW n

PRITHU AVaTARA

67

Steadfast in Dharma, this Prithu punched
not the innocent, even if he were the
son of one who hated him (Prithu), and he
punished even his own son, if the son
deserved punishment.

<Tc??roTsr i

He revered others’ women as his mother,
and his own wife, he loved as half of his
own self. He was affectionate towards his
subjects like a father and increased the
happiness of his friends.

STFlsnfc hjt I
3T3TT5Tr facTT I
rTSTcnr «TOr£«n I

«rar* g*3 qrPTrf^r * \

srr^ *t<*r 5^5TTiTrf^5Frw?rr u

King Prithu, son of Vena, made (the
surface of) the earth almost even ; and on
it then, Prithu, who was God Himself, and
who maintained his subjects like a father,
created everywhere places of dwelling, — -

68

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

villages, cities, towns, and various kinds
of forts. Before Prithu, there never was
on this earth this devising of cities, villages
and the like.

Cl ft w r mriT T UV frT HTJTTT5T fqm: II

Delighting the subjects with the pleasing
qualities of his mind, speech and conduct,
Prithu bore the name ‘ Raja ’* (the delighter
of the people), as if he were another moon.

H ffc ^ 11

THUS ENDS THE STORY OF THE INCARNATION
AS KING PRITHU

* Prithu was called Baja , having been king par
excellence. Both the moon and the king are called
Baja. Raja is derived from the root Ranj to please.
The ideal king is thus one who pleases his subjects.

II %rt: ll

ii ii

:o:

THE STORY OK THE ENLIGHTENMENT OF
PRACHINABARH1S

udiSEfr g rfe vrifo srjmfo: 1
f^urm ?r% gr [^ac?]n

Barhishat, the very blessed son of
Havirdhana, became king ;* he was an
expert in the texts on sacrifices, and also
in the several paths of Yoga.

srrsfrmh 11

The whole surface of the earth which
was converted by him, who was perform-
ing sacrifice upon sacrifice, into one
sacrificial hall, was strewn over with the
sacred-grass laid eastward.

* Prithu was succeeded by Vijit asva his son, who
had the other name Antardhana. By Nftbhasvati,
a wife of his, Antardhana had the son Havirdhana.
Havirdhana had six sons, the el iost of whom waa
Barhishat otherwise called Prachinabarhis, one of
the Prajapatis, (primeval progenitors) and always
engrossed in sacrificial rites.

70

SKIMAD BHAGAVATA

y r -sfts ref iH [^m:] wrjfcsrWThJrre^ i
5rn^ts«m»TcRgrar: ^rr^: srre^rretn^n

The compassionate Narada who knew
the Truth of Self enlightened this Prachina-
barhis whose mind was engrossed in
sacrificial rites :

‘ «rt «tt re% jjcnr^] i

q lTffrtiT g j ft greresTrr u

“ O, king ! behold (these) animals, these
multitudes of living beings, that you have,
without pity or disgust, butchered by
thousands in your sacrifice !

‘ ret Hsraftsrat <re i

g qfcnre:f>t II

“ Remembering the slaughter done by
you, they are looking forward to your
death when, with their fury shooting up,
they will tear you up with their steel-horns.

‘ % 3^1 *TTt f^PTT fT g g TOL I

^ *T 3TTO% ftot sref: ufaforeu II
^W?T7T: UcfrfilT: qnfai *>JT ^55^ I

are ^ren u

THE STORY OF PRACHINABARH1S 71

“ As a man carrying a heavy burden
on his head bears it (now) on his shou*der,
even so are all remedies. Action by itself
can never be the final remedy for Actions ;
for both proceed from nescience ; O sinless
soul ! it is like a dream within a dream t

qrJPTt ii

“ It is this procession of birth and death
which causes the series of calamities
for the Self, the (real) object that has
to be realised by one ; and the
snapping ol that chain of birth and death
is by supreme devotion to the Master.

‘*nrr wKWi srarfcy: i

“ When the Lord who has been realised
in one’s self blesses one, he casts away
the mind that has rooted itself in the
world and sacrificial scripture.

‘ gnrlt:

f g g>u^ r «f t jttIR *r<rqr^ i

72

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

“ Strewing the whole of this earth with
blades of grass thrown eastward, you pride
yourself with this huge slaughter of living
beings and imagining that you have done
the right thing, you know not that which
is the greater Karma. That is Karma
which pleases Lord Hari ; that is knowledge
which makes one think of Him.

‘ *3RT srafoctwra I

wir&gs 11

“ Hari is the soul of all beings,
Himself the source (of all) and Master.
His feet are the refuge wherefrom welfare
(flows) for men in this world.

‘ sr I fa g re rn g F re rr * yren wfo i
fc* * I f^rerr^m n

Being the soul, He is the most

beloved (for us) ; from Him there is not

even an atom of fear.' He who knows
this, is the man of wisdom ; the man of

wisdom is the great man ; he is verily,

Lord Hari."

wmdywii «prerrsrn^t tsrntffmri
sn-pmr^

THE STORY OF PRACHINABAkHIS 73

Blessed Narada, chief among God’s
devotees, having explained the natur of
the Universal and Individual Souls, took
leave of Prachinabarhis and then went to the
world of those who have realised their Self.

arrf^T ff rR MWmfr II

Becoming a royal sage, Prachinabarhis
directed his sons to live the householder’s life
and protect the people and went away
for penance to the hermitage of sage Kapila.

There, the heroic Prachinabarhis conti-
nuously adored the lotus-feet of Lord Hari,
with mind concentrated and attachments
all abandoned ; and by this devotion, he
attained the state of equality with Lord Hari.

n ffrr n

THUS ENDS THE STORY OF THE
ENLIGHTENMENT OF KING PRACHINABARHIS.

II 3ft: II

ii fomapyv Tr 11

THE STORY OF PRIYAVRATA

?T3T5?r: fara?n <n?ronrecrT

t ns*iPi ^frsft^m^rcrt vri^rfH
cr^^^fTJT^irrf^Tt^ i

That (other) son of the king (Manu),
Priyavrata *, a very great devotee of the
Lord, who had learnt the Truth by
service at the feet of Narada, was called
upon by his father (Manu) to protect the
world, but for the sake of uninterrupted
contemplation of Lord Vasudeva, (he) did not
relish (that duty).

* Priyavrata was brother of Uttanapada, father
of Dhruva. The mapping out of the globe into
the .seven oceans and seven continents is said to
date from the time of this Priyavrata who is
described as having gone round the world many
times.

THE STORY OK PRIYAVRATA

75 -

WTg *»WW T rg<f t ft : ft gST tt fir fo gWT^T I

gcrw arret STgrcsnTcgi I

Then the self born God Brahma spoke to
Priyavrata thus : "To the unwary, there
may be fear even in the forests ; for he is
(surrounded) by his six enemies, (Passion,
Anger, Avarice, Delusion, Pride, and
Malice) ; and to that wise man who has
conquered his senses and has found joy in
his self, vvnacharm can household life do ? ”

gt»TT?3sgrfitf?sr-
fWgrfiw sr^r gsrer it

“ And you have resorted to the stronghold
of the lotus-feet of Hari and conquered the
six enemies. Abandoning attachment, enjoy
here the joys extended to you by the
Supreme being and (thus) realise your
essential nature.

76

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

^rffinnTt vr«T^d 3iTi^^?rT^F^)RT*
*wr^wrr»rr^n%!T!^[rat «t&cKA44j<tttircf i

Thus, at the wish of the Lord, king
Priyavrata assumed active duty, and
remaining unsullied as a result of the
power of the ceaseless contemplation of
the feet of Lord Hari, the Prime Being,
he ruled the earth.

forerarfr a srif srr g i

^Rfsrf^n-^r: i

*rmr g- ^ffrjfcr forrusr: n

Who else but the Lord can do what
Priyavrata accomplished, Priyavrata who
determined the world marking out the
rivers, mountains, forests and the rest, and
the distinct boundaries of each continent, for
the peace of beings ?

n *fcr fo ra< re;q T n

THUS ENDS THE STORY OF PRIYAVRATA.

II %ft: II

:o;

THE STORY OF THE INCARNATION
AS RISHABHA

wra*n r raw»

Desirous of issue, Nabhi,* along with
his childless (queen) Merudevi, worshipped
the Lord.

Jte^arr wk

Wishing to please Nabhi, and with the
desire to enunciate the Dharmas, the Lord
incarnated Himself in his (queen) Merudevi.

ere* kksr fair ww

• Priyavrata was succeeded by* his sou Agnidhra,
and Agnidhra by his son Nabhi.

78

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Because of His superior energy, the
father gave Him the name Rishabha.

®rr*f fa src

^mrRprtfa' ^^^^ 7 1

Nabhi installed his son (Rishabha) in
the (duty of) guarding the bounds of
Dharma (*.<?., made him king), and, along
with Merudevi, attained in course of time
the Lord, through contemplation.

sto 5 *T*T3nr^r*^rt

i ^rr ^ n?wuft vr^ft wgipr

3TTTrt^? ^ '*TITdfaf?T e’T’Tf^rf^T n

The Lord Rishabhadeva, inculcating the
Dharmas of the householders, begot
a hundred sons equal to Himself on (his
wife) Jayanti ; of whom the eldest was the
great yogin, Bharata of most eminent
qualities, after whom this country is called
Bharata varsha.

RISHABHA AVATARA

79

^TfrTTiT^’OTT:: * ■ Riccf 3«RT

Ibn qpr^for^n wt^^JsniR^^mgrd^r

I «3RT5#^TT^ftar

<TrT^ g q^ 5m>: It

Though He was master of Himself, and by
Himself permanently devoid of all evils
and though He was God Himselt who is (ever)
in the enjoyment of the bliss unimpaired,
the Lord, with the name of Rishabha,
taught by his own example the Dharmas
to those ignorant of them. Remaining
equal towards all, subdue 1 in passions,
lull of friendliness and sympathy, He
ordained the world in domestic life
leading to the acquisition of Dharma,
material gains, fame, children, pleasure
and (in the end) salvation also. For,
whatever the great man does, that the
world does alter him.

Tfapnpr c wfe r Hff * shot
fawfa I

80

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

When this country was being protected
by Lord Rishabha, none coveted for
himself anything from anybody in
any manner.

VjUEjl

U S TPTi TO rff3 TT^^Tg

Lord Rishabha once addressed his sons
in the assembly of the greatest of Brahmin
sages and as the subjects were listening :

?nft f^ssr jppur w

^• 1 *^ .•

ll

“ This body with which men have been
blessed in this world of human
beings, does not deserve the miserable
pleasures which are like those of the filth-
eating creatures. Sons 1 this body deserves
that divine penance, by which one’s mind
gets purified, and through which, is obtained
the permanent bliss of Self.

R1SHABHA AVATARA

81

* .'s&kei 5T<«f5i^7^r-

qi fa ai i

qrcrergfr ^nrfererr: srenRu:

& T «re : wrvarm ^ n

“ The adoration of the great is said to
be the door to deliverance ; and association
with those associated with women, the
entrance to darkness. Great men are they
whose minds are in equanimity, who have
attained tranquillity, who are free from
anger, who are friends (to all) and who
are good in nature.

‘ sfrsr: srarfe STScfe:

*TT.S*TT-y l^ci I

^ 5T li

“ The world has itself lost sight of its
welfare, this world which in its great
avarice, yearns for material possessions ;
creating mutual animosity for the sake of
a morsel of enjoyment, this deluded world
realises not the unending misery (it causes
to itself).

6

82

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

*r *rw«ra^r.: ^dWHiH. •

“ He will not be a teacher, nor he a leader/
who will not save one from impending death*

qrf^ioi fk i

f^PTT gmwid

“ The fruit of the activity of mind,
speech, eye and the other faculties is the
offering of it to Me. Without this, man
cannot escape the stupendous nescience
which is verily the noose of death.’ ’

WP I

Having thus instructed his sons, the
Lord in the guise of Rishabha appointed
Bharata, the eldest of his hundred sons,
to the (task of) protecting the world and
Himself departed renouncing everything.

n u

THUS ENDS THE STORY OF THE
INCARNATION AS RISHABHA

II II

u roifrwfam n

:o:

THE STORY OF JADABHARATA

whtcjtjt; <T35r spromra i

Bharata married Panchajani and begot
on her five sons, equal to himself.

sran i vmgpa

That king Bharata of extensive know-
ledge protected with great affection his
subjects who were devoted to their
respective duties. He worshipped the Lord
also with manifold sacrifices.

84

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

^cR^wfT faf 5 * f«WR R5T

jsssnsm sRarnr I

(Having lived) thus, Bharata, at the
end of ten million years, resolved that the
time for the end of enjoyment had come,
divided the possession (of the kingdom)
he was enjoying among his sons and
himself retired to the hermitage of (sage)
Pulaha.

frfer^ snrnsRg*-

fo j f enre rr i

There (in that hermitage), he propitiated
the Lord and gaining more and more
tranquillity, he attained supreme bliss.

g q fe frg i

Once, he was sitting for some time on the
bank of a river uttering the sacred Mantra.

?nr sft "ft ararwwrrog-

1 aSTOW srr

THE STORY OF JADABHARATA 85

wrr Tc<T<T;rsrr amr&mr

There, at that lime, a thirsty doe
approached the river. When the doe was
drinking water, there arose from the
neighbourhood the roar of the king of
beasts which terrified the whole world.
Hearing that, the doe, timid by nature,
jumped away, all of a sudden, out of
fear. And as that pregnant doe was
jumping, the young one in her womb
slipped out, as a result of her great fright,
and fell into the stream.

fsmra, am to- tor i

In the agony due to the discharge of
the young one, the jump and the fright,
the doe fell down in a cave and, after a

time, died.

arom^i

86

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Seeing the pitiable young one of the doe
being carried along by the flood, the royal
sage, Bharata, rescued it in his sympathy
and took it to his hermitage

?rer gafta r fi r-

*nvi^rar<.?:

r A£IEjCS C’ I

Towards this little deer, Bharata formed
the strong attachment that it was his own,
and as a result of his daily nourishing it,
protecting it (from wild beasts), fondling it,
satisfying its wants and continuous thinking
of it, all his austerities, one by one, became
extinct in a few days.

snarer

5 5 d^«t>*r! stptctct i

To that Bharata whose Yoga was thus
destroyed by the obstacle (of the young deer),
there came the inescapable time of death*

ott q3 t fafi %fer <-W TT flr^r ssfarftra
i rnrnamsrcr rgrontrcnr-

J TT?rt

q^q^srsm q^TTs^rrRr n

THE STORY OF JADA BHARAT A 87

Passing away with a mind absorbed in
the deer only, he was born (again) as a
deer. (But) even in that deer-body, he
thought of the cause for his becoming a
deer and repenting very much, left his
mother-doe, and again returned to the
Lord’s own realm, the hermitage of (sages)
Pulastya and Pulaha.

i

There, he lived on dried leaves, grass
and creepers, counting the time for the expiry
of the Karma that caused him to be born
as a deer and (then) left his deer-body,

3TO fofrereg s re rei t yri 3TW3IT

^

fetfecT JTSrJTTf : ti

Then, there were born to an excellent
Brahmin nine sons by one wife, and by
the younger wife twins, a son and a

88

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

daughter. The male-child of the twins, they
say, was the great devotee Bharata who had
left the deer-body and had become a
Brahmin in his last birth*

n rt 11

In that birth also, he was terribly afraid
of attachment to his kith and kin and
remembering, by God's grace, the series
of his previous births, he exhibited himself
to the world as a man mad, insensate,
blind, and deaf. With an uncovered body,
he wandered about in cold, heat, storm
and rain.

c^t - : 1 3ra

^T3nf5r; ^sremms-

THE STORY OF J ADA BHARAT A 89

Then, on an occasion, a certain bandit-
chief, desiring issue, decided to offe:* a
human sacrifice to Goddess Bhadiakali.
His followers bound Bhirata with a rope
in the night and brought him to the
temple of Chandika (Bhadrakali). Then,
the bandit who was officiating as the
priest of the bandit-chief took the sword
for propitiating the Goddess with the wine
of the blood of that human offering.

fe g remii

Irer ^ft i

Seeing that highly heinous act of those
low men of passion and delusion, delighting
in violence, namely, the impermissible
killing of one who had become the
Brahman, one from whom enmity had
completely departed and one who was a
friend of all beings, the Goddess Herself
suddenly burst out of the image.

90

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

g g rggm fe g ssy f cgmgr «rrfrrgrT trfc-
f^i^JRf^ojTJT^irr^ fsfcffrr
jR?f g- 1 f^whrr-

^ <T»5rfe it

Laughing a terrific laugh, she jumped
and with the same sword cut oft the
heads of those evil men, drank the wine
of their blood, and sang, and danced.
Thus indeed does the sin of torturing
the great completely turn against the
sinner (himsdt).

* 5TT «KMI g 3*d

O

feg ?d %?r rem *T*T H g g s-

Nor is this composure even when one’s
decapitation is imminent any great wonder
in those who have cast away that strong
knot of the heart, the mistaken sense of
soul in body and other material objects.

am g yure r sarer w-

THE STORY OF JADABHARAI A 91

tor qfar ft sh f ra fa fo

?^trT: i r^WT ^ gecrg fel&-

«FT 13 *T?T3*TW: I

Then, while Rahugana, king of the Sindhus
and the Sauviras, was on a journey along
the bank of the Ikshumati, and a search
was made for palanquin-bearers, this eminent
Brahmin, Jadabharata, was found. “ Stout
and youthful, this man is capable of bearing
the burden ” — thus was he forcibly caught
hold of, along with others previously con-
scribed, and that great man undeservingly
carried the palanquin.

fe *r FTJTnkaT g^rfo:, && f^nr-
iTR^r^r i

When the movement of the bearers was
not uniform, Rahugana found his palanquin
moving irregularly and said : “ Why is the

vehicle carried unevenly ? ”

‘ i

srerfa, jtfitc g-f vwtm

i*

92

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

(The bearers said :) “ King, we are carrying
(the palanquin) aright but this recently
recruited person does not proceed fast and we
are not able to carry it along with him.”

*T3TT t^ngf&iar-

King Rahugana, though he was one who
had sat at the feet of the great, became
a little angry and with mind sullied thereby,
told Bharata whose Brahminic effulgence
was not apparent:

‘3T^t »rR?Tr?<n, ftsT-

srrf^rrar,

5T ^cnTF?;, 3TCSTT !’

\3

“ Alas brother, what a misery 1 Clearly,
you are very tired ! Singly and for long, you
have been carrying (the palanquin) a long
way 1 You are not very stout or sturdy in
limbs and you are decrepit !

THE STORY OF JADABHARAi A 95

Though scolded ironically in this manner,
Bharata, who had become the Brahnan,
silently bore the palanquin as before.

am ^srrg- ♦ % yfetw gw-

3T % qnffiT ffcTt

Then Rahug&na, becoming very angry, told
him : “ Why do you disobey the order of

the master ? I will give the (proper) remedy
(of punishment) to you who are negligent.”

qtu re g v trrarqr refe rr fai TT * qr
g T gpift ^rmnr

V&TZ i

That blessed Brahmin, who had become
the Brahman and whose soul had become
the friend of all beings, said this with a smile
to that Rahugana who was prattling in that
manner and was proud of being a king :

‘ frrfc wmpr

vi < 5 . ^

WRnpT ^ *T

<94

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

“ Stoutness, leanness, physical ills, mental
anguish, the fear ot hunger and thirst,
quarrel, desire, old age, sleep, enjoyment,
anger, the intoxicating sense of I, sorrows,
— these exist for him who is born in
the flesh, not for rae (who am born
in spirit).

$

■3

“ O praiseworthy king ! if the relation of
servant and master is eternal, then there
shall be this relation between order and
service.

q* fqTJftf^TrTSq’

<T^sfa*T3TS*.qPCSiroT%% II

“ Except in words, we do not see any
occasion for the sense of difference (of
master and servant). When the fact is such,
who is the lord and what is there to be
lorded over ? Still, O king, what shall we
do for you ?

THE STORY OF JADABHARATA 95

a**}: fare T *tfMa r

ScT^srara^T g- II*

“ O heroic king ! of what avail is the
remedy of your punishment to me who,

though looking like one mad, intoxicated
or insensate, am really one who has attained
selfhood ? And if I were really stupid or
mad, your punishment would be (all the
more) futile.’’

strmfcr swkwj

*r3nTR*prr5 1

Having replied this much, that eminent
sage, who was hving out the Iruits of

those past actions which had begun to

bear fruit, carried the royal vehicle.

arrww, r?rc*rrerw farcer q msj sgq ^d ?

And Rahugana, on hearing those words
of the eminent Brahmin which cut the
knot of nescience, got down (from his

96

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

palanquin) in haste, bowed at his feet,
and with his pride of kingship gone,
begged pardon of him and said :

375 gsfcrT t

sr| STf^RST II

“ Who are you that move about here in
disguise, and wherefore ? If you are here
for my welfare, may you not be the pure
Lord Himself ? I am on my way to enquire
(what my refuge is) of Kapjla, the first

preceptor of all sages. May it be that thou
art Himself?

^fcjiw^rfirnTJT-

Ibrhgs PT rfogsft
q>xr a ft II

“ Therefore, O, you friend of the suffering,
you must grace with a look of friendliness
me who have, in the intoxication ol my
pride of kingship, slighted the noblest of
men ; so only may I escape the sin of
insulting the good.”

THE STORY OF JADABHARATA 97

1WW’-

‘ wtsrifi

^JTTT *Fft^ITr II

Jadabharata —

“ Attached to material objects of enjoy*
ment, the mind of beings makes for their
misery, but if it is freed of such objects, it
makes for welfare.

‘!T *TT^cTT ?T3*pit?S[

ftpfsr JTPTT I

^TcJTrTrSr WTcftf cTPT^ I
5TCFT II

“ King ! so long as man does not shake
off this nescience as a result of the rise
of knowledge, and leaving off (all) attach-
ments and conquering the six enemies
(Desire, Anger, Avarice, Delusion, Pride
and Malice), does not realise the Truth of
Self, so long as he does not understand this
7

98

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

mind which conditions the (unconditioned)
soul as the soil that produces the agonies
of births and deaths of man, so long does
man wander here (in the world of birth
and death).

“ Therefore, lay aside your careless-
ness, and with the sword of the worship
at the feet of your preceptor and the Lord,
slay this very powerful enemy of yours, which
has grown powerful by (sheer) negligence,
this mind which is unreal in itself but has
deprived you of your soul.

‘ sw JTT*r

m qTpk’: qrr^r %eft: i

“ King ! this something of earth, if it moves
about in the world for some reason, comes to

THE STORY OF JADABHARATA 99

be known as man ; and to that earthen form,
there are, above its feet, the ankles, the
shanks, the thighs, the hip, the chest, the
neck and the shoulders.

HSTTsfar ^r?T ?V T: ||

‘‘And on the shoulder, there is the
wooden palanquin and in it there is the
name ‘ King of the Sauviras ’ ; and with the
sense of mine grown strong in that name,
you imagine yourself to be the king of
the Sindhus and become blinded by that
false pride.

irtarsfor fasRcsmnrt

“ Forcibly conscribing these pitiable
people rendered miserable by the great toil
(of carrying you), you are indeed merciless.

100

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Boasting that you are the protector of the
people, you, who are audacious, do not
shine in the assemblies of the learned.

^T^iuiclTiM^TT *T *nfrT
5T %5?I?TT f?J^TOTT3nT5T I

f^RT II

‘'Pure knowledge is the one Truth, and
that, the men of vision say, is Lord Vasudeva.
Rahugana, this man does not attain to by
penance, sacrificial rite, libation, or household
life; not by recitation of the Veda, never
by worship of Water, Fire or Sun. It
cannot be attained except by bathing oneself
in the dust of the feet of the great.

fef**urm5: i

THE STORY OF JADABHARATA 101

“ Therefore cutting here itself his delusion
with the sword of knowledge born oi the
association with those who have no
attachments, and acquiring the * constant
thought (of the Lord) by speaking of and
listening to His acts, man reaches Hari,
crossing the end of the road of this world.

‘ rwfa snawteFT

s mfc a W TrtTT few

srrwTfewr^FT n’

“ Rahugana, laying aside the role of
punishing (others) and making friends with
all beings, with your soul untouched by
(objects of enjoyment) and arming yourself
with the sword of knowledge, sharp with
the service of Lord Hari, you also cross
over the other end of this highway.’ *

sT rere rw tw «mnrafe-
aTT’ r qr f q fa sw
wsfefjwi fewwrr I

102 SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Having thus, out of his great com-
passion, imparted the Truth of Self to the
king of the Sindhus, Jadahharata wandered
over this earth, looking like the full ocean,
the waves of action in his mind having
become still.

^5Tr*mfir i ff sm^ifaanr-

fsraT3»Tre: II

And the king of the Sauviras also cast
away the sense of soul in the body, which
has been superimposed on the self by
nescience. Such is the greatness of those
that resort to God’s devotees.

il smraq; 11

THUS ENDS THE STORY OF
JADABHARATA.

:o:

THE STORY OF AJAMILA

*T3tr —

^3TT f?R5P STRfe^mt II’

King Parikshit —

“ Though knowing sin to be harmful
to oneself from (both) the visible (society,
elders and state) and the ethical Institutes
one learns, one (still) commits sin, unable to
control oneself ; and of what avail are
expiatory rites then ? ”

sfajwr:—

s r tI ptt 4>4ft g f< t sr siTRferer i

?T srrefem it

Suka —

The annihilation of sin by expiatory rites
is not considered as final ; for the expiatory
rites are prescribed for those who are not
men of knowledge. Knowledge is expiation.

104

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

sTRffcn trwwterrft ft; i

ft*ms>s [ rnr^ ] sr: ii !

Diseases assail not him who eats only
wholesome food ; even so, the person of
disciplined life gradually qualifies himself
for (ultimate) welfare.

ifeftrftMssqT vrarar i

am sfterdira n

Even as the sun dispels the fog, some
solely devoted to Vasudeva shake off their
sin completely by their devotion alone.

arrfajTrrft srforf ft i

JT ft«g*ftr ^r^ nfoerm n n

Even as all the rivers cannot sanctify a
pot of liquor, all the expiatory rites do not
make holy the person who is averse to
Narayana.

*crprr

[<* ft^rm n

And on this subject they tell an old story
also, a conversation between the messengers
of God Vishnu and Yama (the God of Death) :

THE STORY OF AJAMILA

105

fer: ^fH^Tffl<rf?rc3Trf*ra: i
srrcrr *rs^r^rairt f^r: ^T ^T^jfar ; ti

There was a Brahmin in Kanyakubja,
Ajamila by name, the husband of a
prostitute, with all his righteous conduct
lost and polluted by association with
the harlot.

H

Adopting despicable means of liveli-
hood, sycophancy, gambling and theft, and
maintaining his family impurely, that Ajamila
was torturing people.

sr?rm: jpn- Star g i

srrat sTTn^roTt frn^rr

To him, who had become very old, there
were (born) ten sons, of whom the last was
a boy named Narayana, a darling of
the parents. Doting on that child, the old
man was extremely happy.

106

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

sr snfiTRtssft i

irfcT cpt5j 5tt^ frrsnrom!^ 11

Living in this manner, the ignorant
Ajamila, when the time of death approached,
fixed his mind on that young son of his
named Narayana.

ST ’TTCTSSrTTSTte-gT I

3t itfteJmSTrfr 3^ JTTSPTniTf ^ I

STfo^JT s^aTr^snfr^rf^P?^: 11

Seeing three terrific persons with nooses
in their hands, Ajamila, with his senses
bewildered, called out in a long-drawn voice
for his son named Narayana who was
engrossed in his dolls at a distance.

f spmroreqr f^ert i

sTgvrm [jrsnxsr] ti

Hearing the name of their Lord from
that dying person who was uttering the name
of Hari, the attendants of the Lord rushed
(to him) in haste.

THE STORY OF AJAMILA

10T

^m^rrfa^gy c TT Mregwi^m ai h

The messengers of Vishnu forcibly
prevented the servants of Yama who were
dragging from out of the heart, (the soul of)
Ajamila, the husband of the prostitute.

Those forerunners of Yama, who were
obstructed, told the messengers ot Vishnu :

‘ snrf spsRfcrffirT&i* i

5^Rraar^TT^nr^n?Rf?r gsp n

“ Dharma is that which is inculcated by
the Veda ; its opposite is Adharma ; and
we have heard that the Veda is the
self-born God Narayana Himself.

* sri ^Jrtfor srrftnr: n

“ All those who commit sin deserve
punishment in accordance with what they
have done.

‘ arc fe WcT^TST: 5ft55^rnpTT5W: I

SH *ira: I

108

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘ y rfi R grg agferarm i

nfl^dg g ’urere r gsr?mTmn‘5fo& n

“ This person (Ajamila) was a Brahmin,
endowed with learning and the abode of
character, conduct and other virtues ; once,
having gone to the forest to do the bidding
of his father, he saw a lewd low-caste fellow in
the company of a harlot, dallying, singing
and laughing with her who was by
his side.

‘ egr m mgm ^forfarm^ i

srrmr srslter fmrtfen n

“ Seeing her embraced by thart lustful
person with his arm, this Ajamila became
infatuated at once and a prey to passion.

‘ ante JFteTT 5 I

miter aiTurara fas^nn%r ?rrmrT 11

“ Thinking of her alone, he stopped
performing his Dharma ; and with all his
available patrimony, he satisfied her alone.

‘ ^ arformn i

^tenrtferrmrr: n

THE STORY OF AJAMILA 109

"With his mind pierced by the side-long
glances of the wanton woman, the sinner,
Ajamila, soon abandoned his own wife, a
Brahmin lady, not yet of age, and
mairied out of a great family.

‘ WTT*mtS5*TPr?rt I

^nTR'rr; it

“ He brought money justly or unjustly
and from any kind of source and (with
that), the fool maintained the family of
that (harlot), who had a large family.

‘ srrenpjfw i

aro&r far ii

snursir i

^ r n’

“ Since this Ajamila, trangressing the
sacred Institutes, licentious and contemned
by the noble, has for a long time been
leading a life of sin and has been impure
with pollution, we shall lead this sinner
who has performed no expiation, to the
presence of the dispenser of justice (Yama),
where he would become purified by
punishment.”

110

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘ aw fk wrfkfsit 3T?*^T«r5Tg:^rrrrfk i
*t scoter fkwr kb 11

The Lord’s messengers —

u This Ajamila has done the expiation
for even the sins of a crore of births,
since involuntarily he spoke the name of
Hari, the path to welfare.

‘ ^Ifw^wrrfir^ 1

f^an^rerflr^r *rfk: 11

“ This is the greatest expiation for all
sinners, the uttering of the name of Vishnu
whereby the thought of Him is produced.

‘ «rfr*T "TTftirc* «TT Stf I

“ The sages consider the mention of
a name of Hari as destroying sin com-
pletely, even though the mention is .due
to the name being associated with
something else*, or is done in jest, or is the
result of involuntary sounds, or is done
in derision.

* Here the name of the Lord happened to be the
name of Ajamila 1 h last son.

THE STORY OF AJAMILA

111

4 ^ i

*Tftf& nra <j*TT ^TS&TT ^5TT5^5: |(

***nsn? ^t^cmg'Ts^r i

aiin^S^TrJT^tiT ^ifpJT^^g^TSrr: II

“ The name of God uttered consciously
or unconsciously will burn away the sin
of man, even as fire would burn fuel.
Like very effective medicine taken in
accidentally, a Mantra uttered does its
good even to him who knows not its effect.

4 <rfrr mPT? |

int n’

“ Servants (of Yama) ! if you have any
doubt in this Dharma, ask of your Master.
He, Lord Yama, knows the greatest secrets
of Dharma. 1 ’

*f?r sr?3^<TT?rr^ir sht *rrar ^roifer^ii

Thus spoken to, the messengers of Yama
went to Yama’s presence.

for: ’TreTTfsrfa^ ^Tcnrl: »nr: i

112

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Released from the noose (of death), the
Brahmin, with his fear gone, regained his
normal state and as a result of listening
to the greatness of the Lord (from his
messengers), quickly became a devotee
of God.

g rg c T P Tt I

‘ 3rft tr qnr i

m I f*TSgT STTggTSScJTgT II
m f^RTrfg i

f|fqT STgf gTSS §^TT*T*{d|JT*TrJ^ II
t^rggnaft ftcrct grcfeggl 1

3T5t ugrs^gr 11

Recapitulating his sins, he repented
intensely : “ Alas ! What a great misery
there was for me who had no self-possession
and had destroyed my Brahminic line by
begetting (children) on a low-caste woman !
Fie upon me, accursed by the good, the sinner
and blot on my family, who abandoned a
young and faithful wife and went over to
the drunkard-harlot ! Alas ! ungratefully
and like a low person, I have now neglected
my poor parents, who are old, helpless and
have no kin besides myself!

THE STORY OF AJAMILA 113

wz «TT?rr Ir m i

arc ^ 'par Jicnf^^rsRsnrarc^srr: n

u Is this a dream or did I see here a
wonder with my own eyes ? Where have
they gone now, they who dragged me with
nooses in their hands? And] where have

they gone, those four angels of beautiful
appearance ?

‘ srtsi ?tct \

?mr *f STTrJTFTJT^ FT53T^ ||’ •

“ Controlling my mind, senses, and breath,
I will strive in such a manner as not to
sink myself again in stark nescience.”

Thus, with complete disgust for worldly
enjoyment, born in him as a result of a
moment's association with the good,
Ajamila came to the head of the Ganges,
casting away all attachments.

arrsffciT i

ro fsrc:*rf?n 11

s

114

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

In that divine region he sat and took to
Yoga ; immediately he assumed the form
of those who remain by the side of
the Lord and, mounting a golden heavenly
vehicle, reached the Lord’s abode.

[*X3F*] STTWT: gf a^diq m? I

The servants of Yama whose efforts were
set at naught by the servants of the
Lord, submitted to their master Yama, the
lord of Samyamini (the city of justice):

‘ sjrrerrcT sforeywer I snn i

“ Master 1 how many masters are there for
this world of living beings that is doing
the threefold actions, meritorious, sinful
and mixed, — masters responsible for bringing
about the fruits of these actions f ”

‘ to

aim mar qg gq sr i

^ d 4TJ4W4-

_ - r ..

THE STORY OF AJAMILA

115

Yama —

“ Besides me, there is a master for
(this world of) moving and static objects, a
master who is the warp and woof of the
fabric of the universe, the master to whom
these (gods), bound with the bonds ot
(definite) names and duties, bear in fear
their offering of service.

«t I fergsimT Jrrfa ^tj h

“The angels of (that Lord) Vishnu,
honoured by all gods, protect the devotees
of that Lord from others ; and Dharma, which
is founded verily by the Lord Himself,
neither the sages nor the gods comprehend.

Vrf r R ^ m Vm^frT dVWilKUITft&P II

“ Only this much is considered as the
greatest Dharma of men, namely, the
practice of devotion to the Lord by
uttering his name and such other means.

116

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘ gnwtwr^anTTg r^T 5^: «r^m s^ktj i
ararTfir^t^r ^ 11

“ My dear men ! behold the greatness of
the mention of Lord Hari s name, by which
alone even Ajamila was released from the
noose of death.

“They who are good, uninvidious and
absolutely devoted to the Lord are those
whose pure lays the divine beings sing.
Them, protected by the mace of Hari,
approach not. (But), bring me those bad
men who did not do the service oi
Lord Vishnu.”

11 sfa

THUS ENDS THE STORY OF AJAMILA.

ii it

:o:

THE STORY OF THE KILLING OF
VRITRA ASURA

^qrm ^^TTJTraTrrf^ftr: i
<rwg r ft gE re < g^rgCTr 6 g?Tn 11

Transgressing the righteous path in
the pride of the sovereignty of the
three worlds, Indra (once) failed to rise,
offer a seat and do similar honour to the
eminent sage Vachaspati, revered by both
gods and demons, on his arrival.

?i?ft f*nfar srs^rr faser* i

f g g l fe fr g tsggi JT^TTWTrimTW II

118

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Going out of Indra s court all of a sudden,
and knowing as he did the evil effect of
the pride of prosperity, Brihaspati became

invisible by his spiritual power.

As soon as they heard of that disappear-
ance of the preceptor of the gods, the
maddened demons resorted to the advice
of (their preceptor) Sukra and, determined
to kill the gods, attacked them.

♦ # ’K

sI^TTOI SlTtJT I

With heads bent in reverence, the gods,
with India, sought refuge in Brahma. God
Brahma consoled the gods who were put
to severe distress in that manner and
told them :

‘ 3IST «TcT JTS^I

msm it

TIIE STORY OF VRITRA ASURA 119

<# Alas ! you eminent gods ! a great wrong
has been committed by you, you who in
your power did not honour the Brahmin
(Brihaspati), a person of self-realisation and
self-control.

1 *nTrTTg fa*

ftarcilr m
^rfiraiv^g?TT^r ^ n’

“ Therefore, quick, seek the Brahmin
Visvarupa, a man of penance and self-
possession, the son of Tvashta. Honoured
(by you), he will do for you the things (you
want), if only you tolerate his action (his
partiality for the demons)/’

So told, the gods approached Visvarupa,
the son of Tvashta, and said this:

‘ foforfc tow 55^1

120

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

u We beseech you, a Brahmin of self-
realisation and one fit to be a preceptor,
to become our preceptor so that, with
your power, we shall conquer our enemies
with ease/’

fewns<T:—

qfatera s^frT 5|3 t n

Visvarupa —

“ Masters I how shall I undertake priest-
craft, a despicable act which only a low
mind delights in ?

‘ rPirsfa sTmar siT§iT«hi n’

“ Still, I shall accomplish (for you), with
all my life and resources, all that you have
requested (of me).”

q^r srfcmc* WaT^PTT: I
^•farri fspir JpTmWT^TTSfl’ fsRTTT I

Iott^TT fir?TCT fog: ||

Having thus promised to the gods, the
powerful Visvarupa of great penance
snatched and gave to Indra, by (the power)

THE STORY OF VRITRA ASURA 121

of the Mantra of Lord Vishnu, the fortune
of the enemies of the gods, though it was
protected by the power of Sukra’s magic- lore.

dg ire K ftrcifa sftftr [*nr^] i

w I vrni gc^ r g^r^ : i

fom ^rn snrosr [^r] n

st ^ vtttt i

*nwrfftjgr5?rnT ffr ^^ rrgTr: n

That Visvarupa had three heads. In his
sacrifice, he pronounced loudly, in sight of
all and with modesty, the share of the
offering due to the gods, who were his
kin on his father’s side ; and the same

person gave the demons their share,
secretly; performing his sacrifice, Visvarupa
gave their share (to the demons), impelled
by his love for his mother.*

H

* Aditi, a wife of Kasyapa, produced many sons, one
of whom was Tvashta. Tvashta married Racana,
the sister of a demon and of the two was Visvarupa
bom. Thus, through Ids father, Visvarupa is a
grandson of the gods and through his mother,
a nephew of the demons.

122

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Seeing that insult of the gods and pre-
tended Dharma of Visvarupa, Indra, the
king of the gods, afraid (of Visvarupa's
attachment to the demons) quickly cut off
his heads in anger.

5dgs<s?fd*reisi I

or | f5T ? % Hm: "TTT: II

Then, Tvashta whose son (Visvarupa) had
been killed, made offerings in fire to create
an enemy of Indra. And then, there arose
out of the fire at the southern end, a terri-
ble being ; that very frightful evil spirit
was called Vritra.

rt fagsrfvTT: i

\\

The great gods attacked Vritra with
their followers and struck him with their
respective divine missiles and weapons.
And Vritra swallowed them completely.

r* 11

Then the gods praised the Prime Being
with concentrated minds.

THE STORY OF VRITRA ASURA 123

wi ‘ sftcftsg i

VT^ 5fl *«ISS5P|forePTq; I
^^iSrrnM^RTT JTT^r ^TT^cT *TT feHH. •
qt arf^HTeft vnWtSlfTf^^T^rfH ||

f sr fcK T grri ii’

Lord Hari manifested Himself and told:
“ Great gods ! I am pleased (with your
prayer). Indra, may welfare attend you
all ; go to that eminent sage Dadhichi and
beg of him his body, strong with his
Mantra, austerities and penances; tarry not*
Sought by you, that sage who knows the
Dharma will give his limbs (to you) and
then, there shall be an excellent weapon
made out of those limbs by Visvakarman,
by which, you shall, reinforced by my
power, take off the head of Vritra/’

cnhnRrpf sfb 11

Having directed Indra thus, Hari
disappeared at that very place.

124

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

ggr* i

The great sage Dadhichi was accordingly
besought by the gods (for his limbs) : “ 0

Brahmin ! for men who are compassionate
towards beings, what is there that is too
hard to part with ? ”

—

4 irtsw^nrrfJTJTT jttot * tot* i

wrrr sr II’

The sage —

u Masters ! he is to be pitied even by
inanimate things who, with kindness to
beings, desires not (to secure) through
his impermanent body Dharma or fame.’*

TO fTcTSTOfatfT spar^TTO’JT^rj* I

<rt wrofar agm i rgR srTOsrsi n

Having determined thus, Dadhichi offered
his soul to the Supreme Lord, the
Brahman, and gave up his body.

THE STORY OF VRITRA ASURA 12 &

gftsgfajfSrefcreFrt srirsreTsraTsfocr: i
t^ nr^r ^g r ^ ^ f^'t ^ n

Then, taking up the thunderbolt made by
Visvakarman with the bones of sage
Dadhichi, elated Indra, backed up by the
power of the Lord, attacked Vritra for cutting
him (to pieces), like angry Rudra attacking
the god of death himself.

Then there was a very terrific battle
between the gods and the demons.

snrror aw wfcwft srrt

^rTT: $cTT |c$: I

<ife ^ yrogR T: II

All the efforts the demons made against
the gods were repeatedly rendered futile.
Deprived of their strength, they made up
their minds to forsake their master (Vritra)
at the war-front, and flee.

126

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

srerrspr: sftpr wrr «^i
1 smrer «rr ^T^=r:
srfef^ir i

*5terr qrsnaro ?mt *rf^ sig
stt ?ttjt g?g »t fnftrr gr&g n»

The firm-minded Vritra, seeing those
Asura-followers of his fleeing, said this :
“Death is certain for everybody that is
born, this death for which there is no
remedy here. If through that death, there is
going to be the heaven of the heroes and
renown, who will not welcome it when
it comes ? ”

sjsrat era <ic3*%?rer: i

vwwm [g»r] ii

Having lost their senses and intent on
running away, the panic-stricken demons
heeded not the words of their master who
was thus speaking what was righteous.

THE STORY OF VR1TRA ASURA 127

ST **S[sr*:

^TS^ar *TT3$*r fsrerm i

^^TSTJTf ;

STtlSJT jft%5T £*T>3T*TT^ It

Highly infuriated in that battle, the enemy
of Indra (Vritra) beheld (Indra) the murderer
of his own brother armed with the thunder-
bolt, and remembering that sinful and
wicked act of his, became sorrowful and
clouded in mind, and spoke laughing
(derisively) :

‘ f^serr *rsnr?it swsr%?rT ftg:

m «nsfT i

c5TTT

“Luckily you are standing before me as
my enemy, you who are the murderer of
a Brahmin, the murderer of a preceptor, the
murderer of a brother ! Luckily, O, you
evil Indra, 1 shall now requite quickly by
shattering your stone-heart with my trident.

1 femfa si#

sf ^srerarsraR 5t5rerT
^^ft%^rTT?Tr 5T I

128

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

“ King of the gods, why do you]not
aim your unfailing thunderbolt at me, your
enemy standing in front of you ? Indra,
this thunderbolt is sharp not with your
power, it is sharp by the power of God
Hari and the penance of (sage) Dadhichi.
Directed by Lord Vishnu, kill j your enemy
with that weapon itself. Where Lord
Hari is, there victory , prosperity and all
excellences are .

‘ m srmrarsr mft

“As God said, I shall concentrate my
mind on His lotus- feet and with my ties
of attachment to low things cut by
the force of your thunderbolt, and
casting off this body, I shall reach the sages*
goal ”

THE STORY OF VRITRA ASURA 129

tw farergj fcq]
ipgsrt i

^ 9qgir«r'nr«Sfe£
smsfa qT^far w a

Desiring thus to lay down his body in
the battle, considering as he did death
better than victory, Vritra ran at Indra,
grasping his trident, and spoke in anger :

“ Sinner 1 you are killed.”

ddl^5*IW r >< T

srsr =ar n

jVritra then struck Indra, the chief of
the gods, on the chin ; and the thunderbolt
fell from the hand of Indra.

%+% t ?T 5F§T facSfsTcr

mmrfxfapaft 5?t: I

aWTS f5rt 4 5* SdTWm

ift *wn c *r f^n^»T555’ 11

S3

Ashamed, Indra did not take up, in
the presence of his enemy, the thunder-
bolt that had slipped down from his hand.

Vritra told him: 41 Indra, take the
thunderbolt and kill your enemy ; this is
no time for sorrow.’’

9

130

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘ <s5tarr«f<TraT forerr i

firin’ %^t ?r3T: *no5 <fnrwn i

ainrc^rst srT*nmg tfrgitg ^ 1
?wvra snrr %gmcwrir 11

“ Time is the cause (of everything) here,
Time under whose control, these worlds
with their guardians live helplessly, like
birds caught in a net. Not understanding
that Time is energy, power, strength, life,
immortality and death, man regards his foolish
self as the cause.

‘ srerlf «rrfa 1

arrg; sft; gf»fg*?g 4 *Tr fere : 35^ w 1

fk cTrgr# ti

“ God creates beings with beings and
Himself destroys beings with beings. Life,
fortune, fame, lordship and all the blessings
of man appear in the time propitious for
them, even as their opposites appear (at other
times) though man does not wish for them.

wt*3g r f f | * a g:*sTT>*TT ^ysfH^nfrterar 11 ’

THE STORY OF VR1TRA ASURA 131

4t Therefore one should be equanimous
in infamy and fame, defeat and victory,
misery and happiness, and death and life.”

IrJF —

4 fasiTsfer srw ^ jrfrrftesft i

?ife?nT5t vrm *t?t; h’

Indra —

“ Hail, you demon ! you have attained
salvation, you whose mind has become thus ;
for you have cast away your demoniac
nature and become a great man.”

Thus speaking to each other, the two
chiefs of the warriors fought.

3f5rm st swrsrm srferor i

farST ^JT cTrf^T l

Vritra got at Indra and swallowed him
along with his elephant. The powerful
Indra tore his stomach with his thunder-
bolt, and getting out, forcefully chopped
off his head, like the summit of a mountain.

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

132

fSTO [arfts^r] I

T^TcTT SHTm* II

Even as all the worlds were looking on,
the effulgence of the Spirit that emanated
from out of Vritra’s body attained the
Lord who is beyond all worlds.

* I ?srre rot rorrot [57] 1

^fTOT jft^R ro flT3^T II

Then, when the Supreme Being, the
embodiment of all gods, was worshipped
with sacrifice, that accumulation of sin due
to the killing of the (Brahmin) sons of
Tvashta, though very great, was completely
removed by the Lord Himself, as mist is
by the sun.

11 11

THUS ENDS THE STORY OF THE
KILLING OF VRITRA ASURA

II sfr II

ii srf ii

:o:

THE STORY OF PRAHLADA

5T cPTT ?f?T if frfkrTT Ifft: I

It is my decided opinion that man
cannot become so much absorbed in God
even through devotion, as he can through
persistent enmity. Purified of their sins
by their enmity, (the enemies of God) have
attained Him through their continuous
thought of Him.

cp^ fern srprwft »rcrn i

*Tter: 9HW3 II

134

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

As in devotion, so also in love, hate,
fear and friendship, many have concen-
trated their minds on God, cast off their
sin and attained to His goal, — the
shepherd-women in love, Kamsa in fear,
and kings like Sisupala in hate.

Once, Sanandana and others, the sons
of Brahma, went by chance to the world
of Vishnu ; the two door-keepers (there)
prevented them (from entering).

‘ ainsef srrfesft ^cTtrrs‘ar*:’ii

The sages cursed (the two door-keepers):
“ Childish (Jaya and Yijaya) ! away from
here and quickly take demoniac births.”

sm* *1 f^*: 33ft 1

fasraT srbrc *3: 11

The two door-keepers of Vishnu were
born as the two sons of Diti, respected
by all the demons, Hiranyakasipu the elder.

THK STORY OF PRAHLADA

135

and Hiranyaksha, the younger. Hiranyaksha
was killed by the Lord who took the
form of the Boar, when He lifted the earth
out of the waters.*

[ TrsraJ tr&narsrrT n

When his brother had been killed thus
by Hari in the form of the Boar, Hiranya-
kasipu burnt with anger and grief.

‘ *rspnr %*rr *Trm smfonrr: Bctt: i

3^ 57FT ?T5JcT II ’

With eyes blazing with anger, he told
this to the demons : “ Wherever there are

Brahmins, cows, Vedas, the preservation of
Varna and Asrama and the practice of the
duties of these, proceed to those places,,
and burn and slaughter.”

[*rsr*] 1

ST II

♦See pp. 27-28 infra.

136

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

And Hiranyakasipu desired to make
himself an invincible person, free from
old age and death, and the sole monarch
without a foe. (To this end) he performed
very terrible penance in a ravine of the
Mandara mountain.

f^5TT ^nr n

When he was performing penance, all
the ten quarters were ablaze.

erqRf <rmr srre * k w* t ww i
‘ fBnTrTTJftfcsrm ^C:’||

Brahma told that Hiranyakasipu who was
burning the worlds with (the fire) of his
penance : “ I have come (here), the

bestower of boons ; choose your desired
boon. 1 ’

‘ snrt i

JT ^TRTt I

THE STORY OF PRAHLADA

137

Hiranyakasipu :

“ Lord ! let me not have death from any
of the beings created by you ; let me not
have death indoors or outside, by day
or night, or from any other thing, or
by any weapons ; let me not have death
on the ground or in the air, by rnen or by
animals, by animate or inanimate things, or
from gods, demons or the great serpents.

‘ sTirfrg^'TT 3:5 ^T?q- ^ 1

irffirnr ^tsitsscith: 11’

“ (Also bestow on me) the state of being
without an opponent in battle, the sole

sovereignty over men acid the power of all
the gods, a power like that you possess.’*

ten u

Asked for boons (in that manner), Brahma
gave him those boons hard to be obtained.

t?srT grj: 1

Having thus obtained the boons, the
demon, endowed with a golden body,
began to hate the Lord, constantly
remembering the killing of his brother.

138

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

sr^n: grrerer s E re r w?nrfa ^*rcrr n

Conquering all the quarters and the
three worlds, the great demon deprived
the gods of their places and power.

m5Tn3[*gsirfrTfe?EficJT^ 11

He occupied the very abode of Indra,.
possessed of every kind of prosperity.

Frightened at his tyranny, all the worlds
with their guardians (the gods), failing
to get refuge elsewhere, went to the
imperishable Lord Hari, for refuge.

^'TPrrfr^srnft srcrcr StafNOTrr 1

‘ ITT *T£*T*3 I

ST?rftrTS*T ^TTrKT t%*TTT5T^ ^ I

?TFT 5TTf?cT ^ft'eqrfa ?TmfSIfT^RT I)

An incorporeal voice like the rumbling
of the clouds manilested itself to them :
“ Great gods ! fear not ; let there be

THE STORY OF PRAHLADA 139 *

welfare to you all. I have known the
wickedness of this Hiranyakasipu. the worst
of demons. I will put an end to him, but
wait for a time.

1 m'gs i

fet*: *t 3TT5J 1|

“ When one hates gods, Vedas, cows.
Brahmins, good men, Dharma and Myself,
he perishes soon.

‘ fMro* sT5rr??rpi it? ttjt% i

^ '-3

“ When however he turns inimical
towards his own son Prahlada, a great soul,
devoid of any feeling of enmity and
completely tranquil, I will kill him, though
he is strong with boons.”

f^rW^TT it fat srrit n

The gods became rid of their mental
distress and took the demon as killed.

a** 3*T5Jr*lT: I

140

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

The demon-king, Hiranyakasipu, had four
marvellous sons ; by (his) virtues, Prahlada,
a worshipper of the great, was the greatest
of them.

arspnr: Sltey fa ftfa pT:
^rrJT^T^Jrrprm^: fifr r gCTO : I

r: i

JTT?T^T^f3r?r: II

I

Prahlada was beneficent to Brahmins,
endowed with character, vowed to truth-
fulness, and one who had conquered his
senses ; like the soul, he was the one most
beloved friend of all beings ; at the feet
of the noble, he was prostrate like a servant ;
and towards the suffering, he was affec-
tionate like a father ; he was attached like
a brother towards his equals and had the
regard of God for his elders ; (though)
endowed with birth, beauty, wealth and
learning, he was devoid of the stiffness
of pride.

THE STORY OF PRAHLADA

141

mfewrfarii fsr^sr:

i

ST5TT??T^mt dfdTgtf5g*: II

His mind was unalarmed in calamities ;
he had no craving for the pleasures of this
world or of the other heard of in sacrificial
scripture, having found them unreal ; with
senses, breath, body and mind always
under control, and with Desire completely
extinct, Prahlada, though a demon by birth,
was free from the demoniac nature.

yprafo *f?r: 11

Enough with innumerable virtues ; suffi-
ciently indicated is the greatness of one
who delights in Lord Vasudeva by his-
very nature.

farRWjftrj; [’XrRc] riuQj'iriRi * 11

142

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Against that great devotee of the Lord,
the blessed and great Prahlada, his own
son, Hiranyakasipu sinned (by hating him).

SFTSanTT II

Once, the demon-king took his son
(Prahlada) on his lap, and asked him : “ Tell

me, child, that which you consider good.”

‘ fTc^TT^J

f£r?rT5Sr1T<ira

sr TmT *rgrfhrra^cr 11’

Prahlada —

“ O eminent demon ! That I consider
good for men who are ever alarmed in
mind in their false notion of I and Mine,
namely, that man should abandon the house,
the well hidden for his fall, and having
gone to the forests, should seek Hari."

THE STORY OF PRAHLADA 143

«rf^T ssrfrro !?*: i

«4^f»5mr*faT 5TT5fT feinfafiT: I

sfcJarT ’ll

Having heard his son’s words in praise
of his enemy, the demon laughed :
** The minds of boys are liable to be
changed by those of others. Let the boy
be well watched over by Brahmins in our
preceptor’s residence so that his mind is
not changed by the adherents of Vishnu,
who move concealed.”

jjf iTTJftjwrf ^ i

xrcrc* i ^rr^rr *mrfa:n

The priests of the demon called forth
Prahlada, who had been brought to their
residence, extolled him in fine words and
asked of him in conciliatory terms :

‘ *T5[ ^ ^ ITT ITOT I

TTOraft 3%^TT^T: I

^cTTCt % II ’

“ Dear Prahlada, welfare unto you ;
speak truth and not falsehood : Wherefore

144

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

is this affection of your mind which is
beyond the range of boys ? Is this the
work of another or do you have it yourself ?’ r

‘ ssn qrsp’Te'irrw: <p<ni

/V ^

?PEIT Wi II

W'JT swimm 5T§r^ i

?pjr ir firsr^- %craj5F<Tnt^rs^rr u’

Prahlada —

“ Obeisance unto that Lord whose Maya
it is that causes in men the false notion
of ‘ones own’ and * another Y*a notion
seen (only) in those of deluded minds.
As a piece of iron, O Brahmin, moves
of itself in the presence of a magnet, even
so is my mind affected unaccountably by
Lord Hari’s presence/’

^ irfacrar sftsn i

snrert jtiwut^ 11

Then, that wretched servant of the king
(the Brahmin teacher) became angry, and
threatening Prahlada, made him receive his
teaching of Dharma, Artha and Kama.

THE STORY OF PRAHLADA

145

rT?T UST :

far [jfaf&T] R

Finding then that Prahlada had learnt
the four subjects (of the kings, — concili-
ation bribing, creating dissensions and
punishment by war), the preceptor showed
him to the demon-king. The demon
hailed him with blessings, and embracing
him with his arms for long, he said this :

ri cira it

“ Prahlada, my child ! recite something
which you have learnt well, that which
is best.”

• sft&r f^orn i

\

rf^r ^srrsffcrr i

f*q% ?T?*T^StffcrgfW^ ll’

10

146

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Prahlada —

“ Listening to and Singing of the glories
of Vishnu, Thinking of Him, Service at
His feet, Worshipping Him, Bowing to
Him, Becoming a servant of His, Having
a friend’s love for Him, Offering up of
oneself to Him, — if man practises this
ninefold devotion to Lord Vishnu, well,
that I consider as the greatest learning.”

Hearing then these words of his son,
Hiranyakasipu, with his lip quivering
in fury, spoke this to the son of the
preceptor :

* foitcH* f^r^r vwmsmn i
srort mfem toi n’

“You wretched Brahmin of evil mindl
What is this f Ignoring me, you have vilely
sided with the enemy and have taught
this boy worthless things ! ”

THE STORY OF PRAHLADA

147

guj*;—

‘ *T JTfJToft# ST 7*W?T

gm zc&w i

^srfsfaffcr JTffTT^q- ?THS1

«rr ?ts ii’

The teacher’s son —

"Enemy of Indra ! this that your son
speaks, was taught neither by me nor by
anybody else. King ! this state of mind
hath come to him by nature. Restrain
your ire and do not find fault with us.”

‘ ?r %srsspfr!T ^ frefTsvr^rs^cfl irfk: i’

(Hiranyakasipu asked his son :) “ If this

your evil and unfortunate attitude of
mind is not learnt from your preceptor,
wherefrom did you learn it?”

—

‘ TT^ 'T’CtT^^T 3T

fasnsfaw sjgOTfmr i

^jg^srf^rsr^jrnTTJ^ 11’

148

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Prahlada —

“For those who are vowed to house-
hold life, and with unsubdued senses chew
again and again the same cud and (thus)
plunge into darkness, the thought of
Krishna will be neither from another, nor
of themselves, nor mutually. 1 ’

In his rage, the blinded Hiranyakasipu
flung on the ground from his lap his son
who had spoken thus and finished.

”5: i

‘ , OfcrWT^r eTWt ||

^ fec?rr r

Possessed by intolerant anger and with
eyes turned red, Hiranyakasipu said : ’* Let
this Prahlada be put to death, this Prahlada

THE STORY OF PRAHLADA

149

who deserves to be killed ; demons ! tdte
him away. This Vishnu is the person who
killed my brother and this base Prahlada,
leaving his own friends, does servile
worship at the feet of him who killed
his own uncle.”

srmf^r ♦nri I i

gri^T3^§: II

Those demons ordered by their Lord,
armed with tridents, their faces terrible
with sharp fangs and shouting ' cut him,
tear him \ struck with their tridents
Prahlada who was sitting, at all the vital
parts of his body.

(Those tortures) were futile against Prahlada
who had riveted his soul on the supreme
Brahman, the inscrutable Lord, the soul of

all. Fearing (the impossibility of killing
him), the lord of the demons sough
pertinaciously (several) means of killing him.

150

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

y: <refo re > * rqfr:fa i

* 575TTWj ggrerm gre gmi; i

fejrTT ^Nfcnrr srm^Tr^# srr«nrei«r n

With the elephants at the quarters, with
serpents, by evil incantations, by throwing
him down from heights, by black-magic,
burials, poisonings, repeated starving, with
cold, storm, fire, water, by rolling boulders
on him, — when by all these means the
demon could not kill his sinless son, he
sank into deep thought but did not find a
way of killing him.

1 3Tsm5Tr3wmi^JTfrcTfe?!7rt5JT^! i
3-TSterfed^r vrfrcrr ?rt ii’

(He said to himself :) “ This Prahlada

is of inscrutable power ; he has fear from
nothing ; he is indeed immortal ; surely by
(this) enmity (of mine) with him, there is
going to be death for me, a thing new
to me.”

THE STORY OF PRAHLADA 151

JTSTfqr sstrt rnr^ 11

Then, when friends (in his class) called
him, the great man ol wisdom, Prahlada,
told them :

‘ sTRtcsrT^t swfomramfa? i

g&j JTTg^ 5P*T i=T^«reraw4^ll

“ A wise man should practise here
virtues of devotion for the Lord in boyhood
(itself), for this birth as man which has to
give us our salvation is hard to be attained
and, when attained, is impermanent.

1 *ror fe fsrwr: q rfore rfrqrqi i

H^^fTTJTr far anr^ssnc: *5^ u

“ Resorting to the feet of Lord Vishnu
is proper for man here ; for He is the
beloved ot all beings, the Soul, the Master
and the Friend.

3^35^5 it

152

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

u Demons I as misery comes to men
without their effort for it, so also the
pleasure of the senses is available for
all beings by destiny and by the mere
reason of their having taken a body.
(Therefore) one should not strain oneself
for its sake ; for, by doing so, only life
ebbs away.

‘ jsrt rTTferTrlR: I

fasTfir: i
fZcnfk: n

sjrrfrr m%?r vsfcrar i
^Tr^r fk II

u A hundred years form a man’s life ; the
man who has no self-possession has but
half of that. Twenty years pass away for
the fool in his sports of childhood and
boyhood and a score (more) pass away
as he remains inefficient for any work, his
body being in the grip of old age. The
rest (also) passes away for the cateless
man who is engrossed in domestic life

in his insatiable desires and strong
infatuations.

THE STORY OF PRAHLADA

153

4 gKfrgr&gwrr rirg;§f^ BT$tertsfa v tfcien i
^ {^•iirc^f^r: srfnn?* 11

“ Who will renounce his desire for
wealth, wealth which one desires to possess

more than life, wealth which the thief,
the servant and the merchant buy with

their dear life ?

* * *

w>v ^T??ring-: |

ifecrrriTT

‘‘ How shall he become detached, he

who esteems (only) the pleasures of sex
and the palate and is in an endless

delusion ? Suffering with the threefold
miseries* all around, he who delights in
his family never gets disgusted (with
his life).

4 am fef TTrtrftCc?! t?9T:
*1# f^^TTrJT^S I

jrnrr^onTTf^^#

* Mental ills (Adhyatmika), physical ills (Adhi-
bhautika) and calamities caused by forces of
Nature, Fate and the gods (Adhidaivika).

154

SKIMAD BHAGAVATA

“ Therefore, ye demons! discard from a
distance association with the demons of
material pleasure. Go unto Narayana, the
Prime Lord. He is the salvation desired
by those who have given up all attachments.

‘ 0^33 iftoram i

SITcJTcSnr^TsliJjrTTJTT II

“Ye children of demons! there is not
much exertion to be made, for him who
begins propitiating the imperishable Lord ;

for He is the soul of all beings, and is
established everywhere in this world.

qsr 'rrr fjiriTr u

“ In the superior and the inferior beings,
from god Brahma to inert objects,
there is only that one Supreme Being, the
Soul, the Master and the Imperishable Lord.

*rrerrcM43 ^3 i

THE STORY OF PRAHLADA 155

“ Therefore , casting away your demoniac
attitude , have compassion and friendliness
towards all beings , whereby the Lord is
satisfied \

cr ^rfsrsr: u

“ And what is not attainable when that
Eternal and Prime Being is satisfied ? And
of what use are those things which come
of themselves in the interplay of material
forces ?

‘ 5TTST I

sftoRPT ST 5Tf fTcTT I

sftq%sJT«y*TT fi f^pirfs^r^srn 11

“ Brahminhood, godhood, sagehood, none
of these, ye sons of demons, is enough to
please the Lord ; nor is (mere) good con-
duct, nor the knowledge of many things.
Lord Hari is satisfied (only) by pure
devotion. (All) the rest is mockery.

‘ rTrTT 5^rT

156

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

“ Therefore, ye demons, have for all time
devotion to Lord Hari, the Master who is
the Soul of all beings, even as you have
for your own soul.

1 fer^^sn - snrWsn i

^itt: TrT jf r < re*rficT ig j ^g frrt *rar: II

“ There are demons, Yakshas, Rakshasas,
women, Sudras, shepherds, birds, animals
and others of sinful lives who have become
one with the imperishable Lord.

“ Only this much is considered as man’s
supreme purpose in this world, exclusive
devotion to Lord Hari and realisation of
His presence every where.’ '

Then, all the boys of the demons, having
heard what Prahlada had described, imbibed it,
since it was irreproachable, and they did not
take at all the teaching of their preceptor.

THE STORY OF PRAHLADA

151

5^ ffg *Rt ^ ii

Hearing of that unpleasant thing, the
demon (Hiranyakasipu) made up his mind
to put an end to his son.

gll«ft rT 5TTCR %^Tf5r?nTr: ll’

(Hiranyakasipu asked Prahlada :) “ You

ill-mannered fool, on whose strength did
you transgress my bidding ? M

‘ ST ^T5S ^ VI^?Taj ttstsj:

st I ^fesrr g-mtrrq; i

f S5T5 ^re^ms^T-

ii

Prahlada —

“ Not only for me, not only for you,
O king, but for all others also who possess
any strength, He is the strength. He is
Master, Time and the Lord under whose
(three) huge strides are all these worlds.
He is the embodiment of energy, might,
power, strength and the faculties.

158

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

* sf g r g t yrmfinr gmg gt

hit *rm 'Zr&t jt *rfer fafe«r: I

c rfe r^rfFT ff^f€T»rwq[ II*

u Leave off this demoniac nature of yours ;
keep your mind equanimous ; {really) there are
no foes , no foes except your oivn unsubdued
self, that is on the wrong path. Verily , this
is the greatest offering to the eternal Lordf

‘ s*TrfT JT^imsfo msfawra- i

yref VT W mrfft JT^TT 3TU<t^: |

<fsrrai, ^^TTr^rit ?r u’

Hiranyakasipu —

il Clearly you wish to die, you who brag
too much. You unlucky (lad) 1 that other
master ot the universe besides myself
whom you spoke of, where is he ? If he
is everywhere, why is he not visible
in (this) pillar ?”

ll

THE STORY OF PRAHLAPA 159

Tormenting his son repeatedly witu
such had words, that Hiranyakasipu of
exceeding strength struck a pillar with
his fist.

Ok

Instantaneously there arose from that
pillar a very terrific noise, by which the
pot of the universe cracked.

STrsr

Zf

^Tvrr^rr jt itit ht^^ii

To make true the words of his servant
(Prahlada) and his own immanence in all
things, the Lord manifested Himself in
the pillar in the court-hall, taking a very
wonderful form, neither animal nor human.

st ^Tr^Ttfr

^anror i

‘ srrqr jpft Jim rtt

JT?t l%iTcT^t?sp5^ i

160

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

sn^r g ft u i i5*Ti fr ?r

srgsito r

srirr Ir^r^in:: u

Hiranyakasipu saw all round that Being
emerging from the heart of the pillar.
“ This is not an animal, nor even a man.
Alack, what is this in the form of a man-
lion ? Perhaps, the highly deceitful Hari
has thought of this as my death. Of what

avail is effort against this being ? ” So
saying, that elephant of a demon,
shouting and armed with the mace, rushed
at the Man-lion.

ar

srnfr 3 ?twt sforcr

Lord Hari seized that Hiranyakasipu who
was attacking Him with his mace, even as
Garuda seizes a python, and throwing
him on His thigh at the door, the
Lord tore him with ease, licking with His
tongue the corners of His opened mouth.

THE STORY OF PRAHLAOA 161

fft*T ?TrT ^ I

Sl^rl: Wf3*i*fi5PT: t|

Hearing that the prime-demon, Hiranya-
kasipu, who had given acutest pain to the
three worlds like some cerebral fever, had
been killed in battle by Lord Hari, the
celestial damsels again and again poured
down showers of flowers, their faces
bursting with rapture.

iiTsir&j 1 i

clcfj# ’TUTT^fT ^ ’||

S3

The gods, Brahma, Indra, Siva and others
came there and lauded the Supreme Being :
“ This base demon has been killed ; O you
who are affectionate towards your devotees 1
protect his son, your devotee who has
approached you.”

11

162

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

*rn<t7« enrfar
festo* fa <rf^F r : i
grere grg ^w4^Mi^>T T T f s i
«M<aifefa*3 cT fagi gdm^ H

Seeing the lad prostrate at His feet, the
Lord, overflowing with compassion, raised
him and placed on his head His lotus-
palm which affords security to those whose
minds are frightened at the serpent
of death.

Prahlada extolled Lord Hari with attention
and concentrated mind :

‘ fesTTf

^TM'TT^TTRj^ffc(g^r-- a 5’T^ hRh^I

SHOT JJTTfr ST ^55 ST r| II

“ The low-caste man who has offered up
his mind, speech, object of desire, and life
to Lord Hari, I consider greater than the
Brahmin who possesses the twelve excellen-

THE STORY OF PRAHLaDA

163

ces* but is averse to the lotus* feet of
Loro Hari ; the former purifies his (whole)
family, not he of stupendous pride.

*tr vrffr i

*rer55PFTT VT7TW?T ITR

ersgTrJT^ jjfag^R *ror g^rsft: 11

" Never does this God, Lord of Himself
and full with His own gain, go pitiably
seeking honour from stupid man ; whatever
honour man does to the Lord becomes
honour for himself also, even as the
beautification of the face is beautification
for the face in the reflection.

‘^TPT *JrT*T TcTT r g g ^FT

* The twelve excellences are according to Sridhara,
the Commentator: Wealth, Birth, Beauty, Penance,
Learning, Efficiency of faculties, Brilliance, Prowess,
Strength, Endeavour, Intelligence and Application
(given in the previous verse in the original) or
Dharrna, Truthfulness, Self-control, Penance, Absence
of malice, Shame at doing the wrong, Fortitude,
Freedom from jealousy, Sacrifice, Munificenoe,
Contentment, and Learning (given in the Sanat-
sujatiya as the twelve excellences of a Brahmin).

164

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

“For the welfare and prosperity of the
world, or rather lor His own joy, the
Lord sports in beautiful incarnations.

5toth ^r^rftrcrr: srfcrafer ^

^7 «Tf%£ ^TVPTPT 5T?TT <^ * $H II

“Therefore withhold your anger; the
demon also has been killed by you now ;
by this killing ot scorpion- like and serpent-
like persons (who live for injuring others),
the good men also will be glad. All the
people in the worlds are happy and satis-
fied. O Man-lion God ! people (shall)
remember your form for getting rid of fear.

‘ *xi fw^Tfsra 1 aif mmmjg qr-
faf % T 3 , i

“ Unconquered Lord 1 I am not afraid
of your frightening face, tongue, blazing
eyes, the knittings of brows and the terrifying

THE STORY OF PRAHLaDA

165

fangs ; I am afraid, O God who is affectionate
towards the wretched, of the torture at the
wheel of this unbearably terrible cycle of
birth and death, where I am thrown to
voracious beasts.

‘«rrew ^rroT fapft

iib i

dcMfa fe fa *T

“ O Man-lion God 1 Parents are no
refuge here for the boy ; medicine is no
refuge for the patient ; the ship is no
refuge for him who is sinking in the sea.
The antidote which is naively sought here
tor the man in distress is futile for men
whom you have neglected.

3:^3:^ 11

“ Sex and the like which form the pleasures
of the householder are contemptible ; like
the scratching of itching hands, they breed
more and more misery.

166

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

s*TrwTOrt3nrfnmr*T 3rm*rf: i
npr <i* g^r ^ ^fafrfepnqif
zcpft «rr3?t «t *rs* g

“ Vow of silence, learning, penance, study*
of scripture, performing one’s Dharma,
exposition, mattering of prayers in solitude,
concentration — these means of salvation
often become mere livelihood, O Supreme
Being, for persons of unconquered senses ;
and for those who have these for show,
they are not even a livelihood.

‘ <T*rs&*nr 33rr:

wrtf ^frrajr mi T: st^ot srsrpro^ i

«T^fJ 3T5TJ II’

“ Theiefore, O most worthy Being, how
can man have devotion for you, the goal
of the great men of self-realisation, without
the six-fold worship of you, — obeisance,
prayer, offering of action, service, thought of
your feet, and listening to your stories f f

THE STORY OF PRAHLADA

167

* nr ^ sftms? i

9* quftgglftwd ^nmts^cqi - ^JTT^Il’

The Lord —

“ Auspicious Prahlada ! May there be
welfare unto you. You noblest of demons!

I am pleased with you. Seek any desired
boon. I am the fulfiller of the desires
of men.’"

‘ m m sraT*rcr eft: gg^r«frgMTrfcraj i
*nsi arrftrsr smrr^ ?r sr I *$pf it

Prahlada —

“ Tempt me not with boons ; I have
sought you desiring release. He who wishes
for blessings is not a servant, he is a
\rader.

‘ i

g>m re i vnrreg ^ w

168

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

“ Lord ! greatest of the bestowers of
boons ! if you would grant me my desired
boons, I seek of you the boon that
desires may not grow in my heart.

‘ Jr i

* r g rrfcr <f T 11’

“ Ignorant of the Lord’s prowess, my
father taunted you ; may he be purified of
that interminable and insuperable sin.’ 1

sft WMH,—

4 facrr Oct: fasfows: i

srrm ^ g <r re* ; u

The Lord —

4t Sinless Prahlada 1 Your father is puri-
fied along with twenty-one ancestors of
yours, since you, O good soul, a purifier
of the whole family, were born in his house.

4 *T«nv*f ^ VT^RT ||

“ You are the model for all my devotees.

4 fas* sr ’grf'wu* £ 5^ yqffih urn: n*

THE STORY OF PRAHLADA

169

“ Assume the place of your father and
discharge your duties, remaining devoted
to Me.”

KTTCTP*. [*nH] 5ft:|

?tct: i

^TRT ^R*f R i 5T H %^ r ^ E< Jr 'T fag II

Having spoken thus, Lord Hari disappeared
at that very place. Then, with sages and
with Sukra (the preceptor) and others,
Brahma made Prahlada the king of the
demons.

ii *frT n

THUS ENDS THE STORY OF PRAHLADA

II II

ii «r$ta[«if9*rar it

THE STORY OF THE DELIVERANCE
OF THE ELEPHANT-KING

ar reftfeftTO [ rrsre:] i

There was an excellent mountain well-
known as Trikuta. On it there was a vast
lake beautiful with the trees grown on
its banks.

dfoft*i«wn w:

d«rf^k«Rr<i;

There, the leader of an elephant-herd,
which lived in the forests of that mountain,
was once roving about with female elephants ;
surrounded by its herd afflicted with thirst,

*t then ran up to the neighbourhood of
that excellent lake.

THE STORY OF THE ELEPHANT-KING 171

femw fate

It plunged into the lake, and bathing
itself and getting rid of fatigue, it drank
in plenty its pure and ambrosial water.

er aw *rfsr* [=rr]

WT5t i

Tirfr »nrt

* raw<* faw g ft n

There (in the water) a fate-instigated
crocodile of great strength furiously caught
the elephant-king by the leg. That elephant
of exceeding strength, accidentally got into
distress thus, exerted to the utmost of its

strength (to free itself).

awrssrjt ^rrfcr qft q frfl

fa re «n rp n gran qgforar i

’TOT 5

mP&iiH g iwKfag * *i*wi*ii

172

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

The pitiable female-elephants cried
aloud for their herd-chief, who was being
dragged forcibly by the strong (crocodile)
in that manner ; the other elephants held
{their chief) at the back but were not
able to save it.

^rfspri u

Unable to free itself, it thought for long
and then came to this resolve :

‘ jt irrfim srnra - arrgr; *rsn:

wrfoni: snrsrfer i

<n$r?r flraTg’CT^rTr^-

^ ^ ?r orfir ii

“ These kinsmen of mine, the elephants,
are unable to rescue me who am in
trouble ; how can the female-elephants be
able to ? Nor am I also able to free
myself, caught as I am in the fatal
noose of this crocodile. I shall turn to
that Supreme Being, the greatest refuge.

THE STORY OF THE ELEPHANT-KING 173

wrofadi wr dk i

aRirr to srn3r?*wr3fo%«ri^ u

Thus resolving and concentrating his
mind, h uttered the greatest Mantra, learnt
in its previous birth :

‘ 3TT 5WT crcfr «TcT qgfctWWtH |

“ Aum, obeisance unto that Lord, the
Supreme Being, the root- cause of every-
thing, the great Master, through whom has
this (non-sentient) creation become sentient.

gfNrsnrnr it

“ Obeisance unto that imperishable Lord
of abundant compassion, Himself bondless,
the emancipator from bonds of such
supplicant beings in bondage as myself.

4 s rafiwifqr %.

*TT%5T ***** fog*;

174

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

“ I do not desire life here ; of what use
is this elephant-body wrapped inside and
out in darkness. I desire freedom from
-that shroud over the light of the soul, a
freedom which is not endangered by the
passage of time.”

saf* ftsrw snjfmra-

Hearing (this) praise (of Him), the Lord,
arming Himself with His discus, hurried
on his Garuda to where the king of the
elephants was.

arnrf

Tr^rfer rft jgr i

vTfqrzj ftrorr?

va a

^Ki^uirfy^'3'U wawnre* n

The elephant, caught within the lake by
the mighty crocodile and distressed, saw
in the sky Lord Hari on Garuda, with
His discus uplifted ; lifting his trunk with
a lotus in it, it uttered with great difficulty
the words : “ Narayana, Father of all, Lord,

obeisance unto you."

THE STORY OF THE ELEPHANT-KING 175

iftfanrsr: qrarenfo?
qmgrg swT vre rg re i

*T%s£

fTT^Tcri

Seeing it in agony, the unborn Lord, in
his compassion, got down (from Garuda)
in all haste, and quickly lifted it out of the
lake along with the crocodile ; and even
as the gods were looking on, Lord Hari
freed the king of the elephants from the
crocodile whose mouth was cut (by Him)
with his discus.

*rrssFrt ?rrs**r # sren qrcflTiy4^7y-=h i

«£ N

He who was the crocodile immediately
took the most wonderful form ; he became
Huhu, the best of the Gandharvas (now)
freed from sage Devala’s curse.

STOW foCHT ||

Rid of his sin, he bowed (to the Lord)
and went to his world.

176

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

uF^r tttcrtt tftddwrargkor; u

Released from the bond of nescience at
the touch of the Lord, the elephant-king
attained God ’s own form, with yellow
garment and four arms.

ST d <T#JT3Jsrn!T TP^cfT g foWWW : I
?fcr WcTT U

Previously, he had been a Pandyan king,
the most eminent among the Dravidas,
Indradyumna by name, constantly devoted
to the worship of Vishnu.

ST STIrJT^R:

|>3rr |

<rftfspr: 11

Once, during the time of worship, that
Indradyumna, of self-possession, had under-
taken a vow of silence and was worshipping
Lord Hari when, by chance, the sage
(Agastya) arrived (there) surrounded ] by
his disciples.

THE STORY OF THE ELEPHANT-KING 177

?rw sjrmsn^FGrsr; u

Seeing him silent and iailing to do him
honour, (sage) Agastya gave him this curse
(of an elephant-birth).

^^rrrr qr^iifer JTfa%?r 1

^t+thth 11

s»

Having thus freed the elephant-chief, the
Lord, accompanied by that elephant,
endowed with the state of those who
remain constantly in his presence, left for
his wonderful abode on his Garuda, His
act being sung by Gandharvas, Siddhas
and the gods.

11 stct »rer?srm$n*TOT 11

THUS ENDS THE STORY OF THE

EMANCIPATION OF THE ELEPHANT-KING.

12

II 3ft: II

II

II

:o:

THE STORY OF THE INCARNATION
AS TORTOISE.

mr snr?fT: n

Harassed by the demons in battle, Indra,
Varuna and other gods bowed to Brahma
and informed him of everything about
(their plight).

Istt: m: [srf^pr] i

m fer a m re mm: *rrqr n

Thinking of the Supreme Being, Brahma,
along with the gods, went to the very
abode of the Lord, the abode that is
bevond darkness.

KURMA AVATARA

119

With his faculties in attention, Brahma
sang a hymn in divine words :

‘sr sr ;tt

*tot i

«tfpnrrsR fk n

“ Manifest yourself in a form
comprehensible to our faculties. Even as
the watering of the roots is the feeding
of the boughs and the branches, the
propitiation of Vishnu is the gratification of
all and of oneself too. Obeisance unto
you, the eternal Lord whose acts are
inscrutable.’ *

as i

[tnrqt] 11

Thus extolled by the gods, Lord Hari,
the Master, manifested Himselt to them,
with the splendour of the rising of a
thousand suns.

180

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

The Lord —

“ Go and make peace with the demons
who are (now) favoured by time, until
such time as would give you prosperity.

‘ srtsnsfa ff II

“ When there is gravity ot purpose, even
foes have to be conciliated.

‘ SSTJJerTFTT^ VW I

'TtrTFT | ^fgWr^jj^cTT^JTTT ||

“Let effort be made without delay to
create ambrosia, by drinking which beings
that are in the jaws of death become
immortal.

4 f^r^rr srer i

fT?gr Jtsr ^rr § srrg%q[ i

*nrr ^jt f^^mnRT%crr; i
*f%swT3h < y> «3 5r g i; 11

KUKMA AVATaRA

181

“ Cast into the milk-ocean all kinds of
medicinal herbs, and with Mount Mandara as
the churner, serpent Vasuki as the rope and
Myself as aid, O gods, churn diligently.
The demons shall toil, and you shall
reap the fruit.

f%T^r«rf^cr *rcrr it

u Gods ! acquiesce in whatever the demons
desire. Never are purposes achieved by
impetuosity (so well) as by conciliation.

STFrf 5T m 5TF5 ||*

“ You should not get frightened at the
poison of Kalakuta which will arise from
the ocean ; you should not exhibit avarice
at any time, or anger or love for the
things (that will arise from the ocean). 0

fr’r nreffi [ ^r^rg.] it

Having commanded the gods thus, Lord
Hari, the Master moving as He pleases,
disappeared from the sight of the gods.

182

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

cTrTT ^cngCP ^kT^CTT: I

<TOT ['TTFTtr] ii

Then, becoming friends and coming to
an understanding, the gods and the demons
made the greatest effort lor the sake
of nectar.

JT^-^f^rfoim^rTrqTi'g' i

JT^rT ftwj: 5Tr^r: II

Maddened and shouting, the able and
bolt-armed gods and demons then tore up
with thtrir strength the Mandara Mountain, by
the root, and bore it to the milk-ocean.

?r q-ftgfar fart g^T 1

3Trtfcrr ^sgrrrf^r: n

They called in the great serpent Yasuki,
tied him round the mountain, and getting
Teady, began to churn f the ocean)
seeking nectar.

iT«mT5tsai$ ^sf^rrorcr srrTsfsrcrg. 11

When the ocean was being churned, the
Mandara mountain which had no support
underneath, went into the waters.

KURMA AVATARA

183

^3: *T5?i 1

srf^^f m?r foftgsrs:*

^g^T?rr ftirfag g*Tg*r: 11

Seeing then the work of the god of
obstacles, the Lord took the form of a
huge and wonderful tortoise, dived into the
waters and lifted the mountain. And the
gods and the demons rose (again) to churn.

JTfTvJcrr ^reWJIrT: I

S3

*ft<TT: IT3TT |f 3*1F

3TO£qTTFrn 51T<JT fT^rf^q; II

Out of the ocean that was being churned,
there arose, in front of them, the very
terrible poison named Halahala. Seeing
that poison of formidable force sweeping
across all quarters, above and below,
unbearable and irremediable, people, along
with the gods, frightened and unprotected
(by any), fled to the ever auspicious God
Siva for refuge.

184

SK1MAD BHAGAVATA

crafty s?tj=r ?tp 7T yrv'ftfan i

??JTTf sranf fjrrr^ II

Seeing that great calamity of the people,
God Siva, the friend of all beings, was
pained very much as a result of his
compassion and He said this to Parvati,
His beloved :

‘ 3T£t 5T?r vTsrrJ^orjTrJTT <T5*r i

arm? arrJT’T^^rf fe i* i

i^rTHT^ SWTTC«ff SfmfaTTSWrq: I

awfH «Tt ^ II ’

“Alas! Parvati! beiiold this suffering
of the people that has come from the
Kalakuta poison risen from the churning
of the milk-ocean. I must afford security
to these who desire to save their lives.
For, this much is the purpose of a Master,
namely, the protection of the afflicted.
Hence shall I drink this poison ; let there
be welfare for the people through Me.”

KURMA AVATARA

185

CRT: s*rrfa f^TJ^ I

aTWT?*T?T^r: ?Pm VTrnTT^: ||

Then, taking the spreading Halahala*
poison on his palm, the great God Siva,
the gratifier of beings, swallowed it, in
his compassion.

rPFTrfa yswrare r i

’T^^nr jt& ^ mwfzngwfti ii

On God Siva also, that stain of waters,
the poison, displayed its powers; for it
stained His throat dark ; but to that
benefactor, the stain was an ornament.

fTTO^T: STPSTSit 5RT: II

Generally, good men suffer themselves
as a result of the suffering of the world.

iTct Tft f^rrftir 1

When the poison had been drunk by
Stva, the gods and the demons were
satisfied and they churned the ocean
forcibly ; there arose then the cow
Kamadhenu.

186

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

tier TT JTHT 5^T5^^'Tr»l^T:: |

eTel ^ITSrcft RUT fefofR: I

<nrrrm i

creAsW'Trftsirer: I

er?rair:gri:^T simr £n;frfi<J3«T^prrasr: il

Then arose the horse named Ucchai-
sravas, white like the moon ; then emerged
the great elephant named Airavata ; (then)
the ruby named Kaustubha came out of
the ocean ; then came out the Parijata tree,
the ornament of the celestial world ; then
were born the Apsarases with golden
necklaces and beautiful garments.

tirrsrrfo^tf w YPraprcr i

?rejr ^ n

And then arose Goddess Lakshmi Herself,
bent on attaining the Lord. Everybody
desired Her, gods, demons and mortals.

»rft*isi ’rrfaRr i
ffr^ratrrriR:

^ vtk i

KURMA AVATARA

187

JTT?qfoj^rT II

With the benediction (of all), she then
took in her hand a garland of lilies humming
with bees, and looked round for an
irreproachable person proper lor Her, one
of permanent and invariably existent virtues,
but did not get one such among the Gandhar-
vas, Yakshas, Asuras, Siddhas, Charanas,
other denizens of heaven and the like.

‘ rTTT VS? =T

irm i

?? TTrTT STTOTV: H

“ He who certainly possessed (the merit
of) penance had not conquered wrath ;
there was knowledge somewhere but it
was not fr~e from attachment to material
objects ; there was some one great but he
had not overcome passion ; is he a lord
who is dependent on another ?

188

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘ 3>farnr «T
f^rnr: fjfe-Tnr * i

ft

fSJTW55: ^sr !T *nw?r ft JTIX It’

“ There is Dharma in a place, but no
friendliness to beings ; sacrifice there is in
some one, but not as means for self-
deliverance. Somewhere, there is long life,
but the auspiciousness of character is absent.
(Alas !} that some one who is perfectly
auspicious does not desire me.”

q?sr

■Zl

Thus discriminating, Lakshrni chose Hart
as Her desired Lord, because of his
excellences being invariably existent, though
He Himself was indifferent.

ftsrnr irsr^T

^TT ft^T^nrrTrTOt

KURMA AVaTARA

189

She placed on His shoulders that
beautiful garland of fresh lilies, resonant
with the hum of the duster of drunken
bees, and stood by His side ; the Lord,
the Father, made His own chest the best
abode of the Mother, the Goddess of all
prosperity.

'iTORftarrw ^ wr^ir i

irrr^j I n

Then there arose the young goddess of
wine, with eyes like the red-lotus ; with the
permission of Lord Hari, the demons
took her.

gngm fo iS TO fttnCSTOfar: I
I VT T T^T?T: I

Then arose a beautiful person, adorned
with armlets and ol lion- like strides,
bearing a jar filled with nectar. He was
a partial incarnation ot Lord Rati Himself,
known as Dhanva itari, the founder of the
science of medicine and one who had a
share in sacrificial offerings.

190

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

fir^uuiJTH^ft ^rr eft ii

Seeing Dhanvantari, all the Asuras
snatched the jar (of nectar) forcibly. When
the jar of nectar was being carried away
by the demons, the depressed gods went
to Hari for refuge.

‘ *TT ferejtT firsiT5& 5r: ^nTPFTT l’

“ Feel not miserable; secretly and through
my Maya, I shall accomplish your object.”
Having said so, Hari consoled the gods
and disappeared at that very place.

fjpj: II

There was mutual quarrel among the
demons who were covetous of the nectar.

ccrrfsmsrrt i

*’■ va#

|r^r y 3 q %ci^ ^mg^nr^gi: 11

KURMA AVATARA

191

In the meanwhile, Lord Vishnu, wno
knew all expedients, took an indescribable
and most wonderful female form. With
bashful smiles and glances cast with the
play of the brows, He (She) frequently
kindled passion in the minds of the
demon-chiefs .

‘ wn qrsaws fr^n qr i

m r* si i

*TOT«rPT II

The Demons —

“ Who are you,, you damsel of eyes like
lotus-petals? Where have you come from?
What do you desire to do ? You lady
of fine waist ! You find a way of settle-
ment for us who are (thus) contending
(mutually) ; justly divide (this nectar) so
that there may be no quarrel/ 1

cfdTf fft-

4<rnr Rrcr i

fp=r ^rTw^rvj ftt

192

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

Then, taking the nectar-vessel, Lord
Hari spoke in words beautified with a
gentle smile: “ Good or bad, if you would
accept whatever I do, I shall divide this
nectar amongst you.”

(The demons) approved of what She
spoke, saying: “Let it be so.”

=sr i

3nTJT?3f 1 ri II

When the gods and the h mons had
sat facing the east, the Lord o! the uni-
verse made two separate rows lor the two;
and with the nectar- vessel in his hand, He
deceived the demons, merely approaching
them often (with sweet gestures and words),
and made (the gods), sitting at a distance,
drink that nectar which destroyed old age
and death.

KURMA AVATARA

193

^ M [ TT ] I

ereit $mfarsrt>i*m snmrnn^r?nT: i

Abiding by the understanding they
themselves came to (with Her), the demons
who had great love for Her, were afraid
of any danger to that love and were tied
down by their regard for Her, did not
speak anything unpleasant.

ftr^wr: i

ensiTJJsr m?TOT:

|r?Tr: II

Thus, though the gods and the demons
were alike in respect of place, time,
purpose, means, endeavour and intelligence,
they differed in the reaping of fruit.
Between the two, the gods easily got the
fruit, because of their seeking the dust of
the lotus feet of the Lord, and (by not
doing that) the demons failed to get it.

13

194

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

[^rsr<] q wftwn <aq>Hg * K i

«T^<Tr «^!TRT II

Having brought into being ambrosia and
having made His own adherents, the gods,
drink it, the Lord disappeared even as all
beings were looking on.

II II

THUS ENDS THE STOKY OF THE
INCARNATION AS TORTOISE.

II sft: II

II

THE STORY OF THE INCARNATIONS
AS VAMANA AND TRIViKRAMA.

:o:

tmfacrsftavTsri jjjxwrfe:

^ argnm >jn-5r: s foro Tq n : i

fsnft'snmir fof«Frr.sf*rfa^T 11

With his lordship subdued (by Indra),
Bali (the king of the demons) sought the
Bhrigus, (his preceptors). The Brahmins*
the Bhrigus, anointed with affection and
in the prescribed manner Bali who desired
to conquer heaven and performed for him the
(world-conquering) Visvajit sacrifice.

Sigar f&Q n

196

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

From the fire propitiated by the oblations
there arose a celestial bow and a celestial
armour.

*tscr i

*rf jt arenrq reffi gT: i

^ TT fi r m gpsrr tcfirghrT srerfer ^ii

Mounting a celestial chariot then and
dragging an army after him, king Bali
went against the highly prosperous city
of Indra, built by Visvakarman, to
which the unrighteous and the wicked,
enemies of beings, knaves, haughty persons,
men of passion .and greed go not, but to
which those free from these sins go.

tariff *r

Bali, the head of the army, laid siege to
that capital of the gods with his army.

^^nm^ch « n

VAMANA AND TRIVIKRAMA AVATAR AS 197

Seeing that great effort of Bali, Hdra,
along with all the gods, said this to his
preceptor (Brihaspati) :

&TTSTt%*Frtf5!<Ti II’

“ Blessed lord ! great is this effort of Bali,
our old foe. I consider him irresistible
(now). How did he become strong in
prowess ? ”

4 srrcrft i

f^TFfnr^r ^srt n

The Preceptor —

" Indra 1 I know the cause of the rise of
this enemy. The Bhrigus, the expounders
of the Godhead, have infused their disciple
with power.

4 vrsrfk^t s rera rrsffr i

5TT^T 5^: *STTjf Strrarer WX 3RT? ||

“ Neither one like you, nor even your-
self, — none except Lord Hari can stand

before him, even as men cannot before
Death.

198

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘ d^v rfcra *rg ?g ^T gq- srt BrfirCTU i

^TlrT SCT^ Hcf^rat ?TrT: mitffr l' fo t II*

“ Therefore, all of you abandon your
abode, this heaven, and go (somewhere)
looking forward to a propitious time
when your enemy shall have his reverse.”

fesrr fefaqq 5 F g<ffa fqTT? qg nrd frm: 11

The gods who could take any form they
desired, left the heaven and went away.

qfefdq'fo: gTtq; |
^qqRmfogrq win n

When the gods had hid themselves, Bali,
son of Viroehana, established himself in
the capital city of the gods and brought
the three worlds under his control,
orgr i

|cqj II

Wlien her sons had thus disappeared
and h-Mven hii been captured by the
demons, Aditi, the mother of the gods,
suffered like a helpless person.

qtsrtt r mvri i

VAMANA AND TRIVIKRAMA aVATARAS 199

Once, the blessed Kasyaoa went to her
hermitage and spoke this to his wife
whose face was woe-begc ne :

‘ fofssrs&j I

arfa sri i rafe rft 11’

“ My wife ! has anything untoward
happened in the house ? O you high-

minded lady ! are all your sons doing

well ? ”

3T^r:-—

‘ gtr^: Trff =t: smt i

*mr ?nrfa ii q- grew r re nrr: i

faSrfi: f^nrr ir

Aditi —

u My lord 1 save us who have been

deprived of our prosperity and position by
cur foes, O you who are capable and

are the greatest of benefactors ! With your
intellect, do us such benefaction as will
make my sons regain that prosperity and
position/'

200

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

H fc ra T F rfe & qrmR. II

Kasyapa —

“ Worship the Supreme Being, Lord
Hari. That Hari, who is compassionate
towards those in misery, will carry out
your desires.”

snrf^rft [*tsr.] 5R*rsrf wfatri

Thus told by her lord Kasyapa, Aditi
observed the austerity called Payovrata,*
contemplating the Lord with her mind.

(Wi: [3TrT ] VHTWRrf^'l^TJ I

3 sffcR 33T3 sftfrrf^prr 11

The Lord, the Prime Being, manifested
Himself to her ; seeing Hina in a form
visible to her eye and moved by love,
she bowed to Him.

• Payovrata is to b© observed for twelve days
in the bright fortnight, of the Phalguna month.
God Hari should be worshipped continuously, the
devote© sustaining himself on milk alone.

VAMANA AND TRIVIKRAMA AVATARAS 201

jrfft r q rq rai —

‘ ^mnksrr farm fV^FTT^%crn i

3iTf»nrP5^?^sri^ srsrrg:?ro5r:f§PT: i

*r 5 irss*rtereFT s&tem 11

The Lord —

“Mother of the gods! Your long-
cherished desire has been understood by
me. You desire to see your sons prosper-
ous, their fame and fortune regained,
themselves re-established in heaven, and
making merry.

4 srPTTsvprr

SRTTfarer ^rg-^rr ^ i
^rsr g ^g r if frgr ^
ifr^TTf^T JTr^frr^Tf^fscTJ 11’

“ Divine lady ! my opinion is that, at
the present moment, those demon-chiefs
are almost invincible. Still, I who have
been propitiated by your observance should

202

SRIMAD BJIAGAVATA

think of a plan. Partially manifesting Myself
as your son, and taking my stand on the
penance of Kasyapa, I shall save your sons/*

Having told this much, the Lord
disappeared at that very place.

f»T5TlRror I

ST gmrjft II

The Immortal Being, the Lord of tawny
garment and eyes broad like the lotus,
manifested Himself in Adit/s womb. With
that form itself which shines with ornaments
and weapons, He transformed Himself
into a dwarf-Brahmacharin.

■-» o»

■ ttmfir ^ r ^ T ff r g ; snrnrfai^ 11

The great sages rejoiced on seeing that
dwarf-Brahmacharin and, with Brahma as
the head, they performed the sacraments
for Him.

VAMANA AND TRIVIKRAMA AVATARAS 20 $

sr Jrrft’r. n

lh*t venerable Brahmacharin thus out-
shone (everybody) with his spiritual lustre.

X Sil

Then, hearing that the powerful Bali was
performing horse sacrifices arranged by the
Bhrigus, the Lord (Varnana), bearing an
umbrella, the Danda * and Kamandalu f
with water, entered the sacrificial hall.

srfeijj ^TJR for JTPTrUT^?'^ I

srfe: I

The Bhrigus welcomed that dwarf-Brahmin
with matted hair, who was Lord Hari

♦ From the timo of the initiation into the Gayatri,
the Brahmin Brahmacharin bears a twig of tho
Palasa tree (Butea Frondosa), the Palasa danda.

t Kamandalu is a small earthen or wooden vessel
for water carried by Brahmaeharins, ascetics
and others.

204

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

himself in the guise of a Brahmacharin.
Bali washed the feet of the Lord and
worshipped Him, the delighter of those
who have discarded attachment.

‘ ssrnra ^ Jnrcjjvr % 11

Bali —

“ Welcome and obeisance to you,
O Brahmin ! What can we do for you f

‘ it

^nri^r [few?pr ] i

*tt gorararm gt

3T [for] h’

“ Brahmin lad ! take from me whatever
you desire ; I infer that you are seeking
something; land, gold, a clean and excellent
house, tood and drink, or a maiden, (take
whatever you desire).”

«ft*nraT5*—

• * put: gsrrco

^i^ rr rf T srfjTsrer «fr sttswt flcsn^ il

VAMANA AND TRIVIKRAMA AVATARAS 205
The Lord —

“ ^here is none in this line (of yours)
who has been untruthful or niggardly, none
who had promised and gone back on his
word, and none who had not been
munificent to a Brahmin.

4 facu ?rfiraeTf?ae3rar*i555 1

“ Your father, (Virochana), that son of
Prahlada, attached to the Brahmins, being
begged by the gods in the guise of
Brahmins, gave them his life, knowing
their identity.

sftfor tffaarfa *r^r n*r ii

4 * Therefore, O king of demons, I ask of
you, the greatest of the munificent, a little
bit of land, three feet measured by my feet.

4 «TT«T% I

STT^rtfcT | «’

“King! I desire nothing else from you,
a munificent donor and the lord of the

206

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

universe. A wise person who receives only
as much as is necessary does not incur
any sin."

—

?TTSi%JTT^ II

Bali —

“ Alas, you Brahmin, uncommendable by
the elders are your words, an unwise
person who asks three leet (of ground)
of him who would give away a continent.

‘ ?T 3JTRTT1'T^3?T *£TT I

d^idfri^xl *jfJr grrt 5Frm sraftsi? ^ h’

“ Having come to me, a person should
not beg a second time. Therefore,
O Brahmin lad ! do take from me land
enough to maintain you.”

ssffrnraT^ —

‘ gwat few: i

*t wrefc r ?t sri srf^fag $qr 11

VAMANA AND TRIVIKRAMA AVATARAS 207

The Lord—

“ King, not all the things that are dearest
in these three worlds car fully satisfy one
of uncontrolled senses.

‘ fafai afmrfa * it

“ One not satisfied with three feet, will
not be satisfied with even a continent.

1 g<rr iFtnrorwr* i

3m: sjnTfrfar STT^T ffcT fr: OTcH^II

“ We have heard that kings like Vainya
and Gaya did not reach the end of
their avarice lor material possessions and
pleasures, though they were lords of (all)
the seven continents.

srpfrrrT sjjcp ii

“ This Non-Contentraent in Possession and
Desire is the cause of man’s migration
through births and deaths ; contentment with
what turns up casually makes for deliverance.

‘ %3rt fasrci i

208

SRIMAD BKAGAVATA

“ The spiritual power of the Brahmin
who is content with what is got by chance
increases ; that power dies out by non-
contentment, like fire by water.

“ Hence, I ask of you only three feet,
though you are the greatest of the
bounteous ; even with this much shall I have
achieved my purpose. Only so much as
is useful is wealth. 1 ’

ermine ircf snrrc 11

So told, Bali said with a smile : “ Have
it as you please.” And he took the water-
vessel to make the gift of land to Vamana.

fasorl «?jtt iKi'«wrg«Hr i

fsmp ftra* xrz f^i ^ w

Knowing what Vishnu desired to do,
Sukra, the most eminent of the wise, told
his pupil, the king of the Asuras, who was
about to make the gift of land to Vishnu :

VAMANA AND TRIVIKRaMA AVATARAS 209

‘ nv y r & rr q* ;: •

wfcTCra q ^vlmflHd l I

*T *fT>| *&* ^rSTTSTT STgTg<T * TtT t J T S Tt I

n* ?T w*m*<ra fsni ?rsn snsn sjcr^ i

^tyKiiiesTJ Srs&FT m*T W rmq<Kl II’

“ Bail, this is Vishnu, (come here) to
achieve the purpose of the gods. I do not
approve of the (gift) you have promised
Him without knowing the danger. A great
calamity hath happened to the demons.
This Hari in the guise of a Brahmacharin
is going to snatch your place, lordship,
prosperity, power, fame and laarning and
give tn£m to Iridra.’’

wfo:—

‘ sr *ttt *ni i

JTf^WrJT Sff g g T fi ; fer^TT HW It

Bali —

“ How shall I, a descendant of Prahlada,
like some cheat, refuse (the gift) to a Brahmin
after having promised to give him ?

*TO fafoftr iei^msi^'dif^ h’

1.4

210

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

“ I consider everything bearable except
the man of faleshoods. I do not fear hell
so much as deceiving a Brahmin.”

STPTT5T qrnPT P T U

Not swerving from truthfulness in this
manner, Bali gladly made the gift to Vamana.

ittst [sxjp^] ^TTT^rg^qr: n

That dwarf-form grew wonderfully. In
that body of the Lord, Bali saw the
(whole) universe with its beings, their
faculties, the objects of the senses, minds
and individual souls. The Lord of huge
strides shone.

srfm f^na wrffa: i
farrftq-

SI I IpfolTO d<fo i mi*r fir II

VAMANA AND TR1VIKRAMA AVATARAS 211

The Lord bestrode the (whole of) Cali’s
earth with one foot and (pervaded) the
skies with His body, and the quarters with
His arms ; and for Him who bestrode the
heaven with the second foot, there was
not even an atom belonging to Bali for
His third.

sftwrTSC—

‘ ^frfbr i

3T**ri t gatagTOvro u

r^msi ^T^ m r ftrer i
wrfcrferfSTflT: II’

The Lord —

“ Demon, three feet of ground were
gifted by you to me; with two feet, 1 have
covered the entire universe. Find me the
spnce for the third foot. Promising to
give, you, who imagined yourself wealthy,
have deceived Me. Therefore, enjoy for a
few years the fruit of this fraud, — hell.”

212

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

w%s—

5FTt S?T^ I

cF* VT^cSFTOT^

<r^ goffer $r^ srtr&r i* faran* 11

Bali—

4< O you foremost of gods, O you of
highest renown I if you consider the words
I had spoken as deceitful, I will make
them true ; there shall be no fraud, place
youf third foot on my head.

‘ faiffr *rk f5torr§*c?r«rrgt

ft i r.t ] y r. tfi It

“l am not afraid so much of interminable
hell as I shudder terribly at infamy.

1 im ^ T tr ^*wirfcT^ii

tl Punishment at the hands of the greatest
of the revered is, I think, most praise-
worthy for men.

VAMANA AND TR1VIKRAMA AVATARAS 213

fo^arr: i

f# i

^5»T5 fa^tcTTsfor ^Tlfroftt ?T ||’

“ I have been overpowered by Him
through deep and persistent enmity
with whom many demons attained the
salvation that the Yogins devoted to Him

alone attain. (Hence) I am neither ashamed
nor pained.”

viwr«it<4 *msrf?sw: i

^r a w m [ ^stg ] w

As Bali was speaking in this manner,

Prahlada the beloved of the Lord came
there, looking like the full moon risen.

?TJrnr 11

Bali, with eyes trembling with tears,
bowed with his head to his grandfather
(Prahlada).

fa fSRhrra a^a i

f>efT g igirg i

fir^fen »’

214

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

(Prahlada addressed the Lord) : “ The

prosperous place of Indra was given by
Yourself; and now, it has been taken
back by Yourself. The latter is as
welldone (as the former). I think that a
great blessing has been bestowed on Bali
since he has been thrown down from the
pelf that deludes one.”

iflVWR-

3^: ITT II

The Lord —

"I destroy the possessions of him whom
I bless, possessions infatuated with which
man becomes haughty and insults the
world and Myself also.

ithit srsl *ic*r * gerar: n

tl This renowned Bali, foremost of the
demons, has conquered the invincible Illusion.

VAMANA AND TR1VIKRAMA AVATARAS 215

Praiseworthy in his vow, he forsook not
Truth. He is being sent by me to a
place of Mine hard of access even to the
gods.

srr*£ srrffrfa: <TfW*<n t
sr^iTss: r*r srgr m it

“ O great king Bali ! let there be
welfare unto you ; surrounded by your
relations, go to the Sutala region, prayed
for by the denizens of heaven. I shall protect
you from everything. You shall be seeing
Me for all time.

‘ srssng * smfe g d i

^TcftTTT I

ftc* STSrf^ ITT ?nr -iKH TT fiuHfisiSIdH It’

“ Prahlada, my child 1 Welfare unto you.
Go thou to the abode in the Sutala and
rejoicing (there) with your grandson, bring
happiness to your relations. You shall see
Me there for all time, standing mace in
hand/’

216

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

*nwr*r*mt [rnsr^] usa r ^i wfcwr *rg i
gg a gr te re *rfbRWT sn^sr jrcrfonoi

Receiving with reverence the Lord’s
command, Prahlada, along with Bali, went
round (the Lord) and entered the Sutala
region.

ftrfenr srowt tft:i

Thus did I lari in the form of the
dwarf-Brahmacharin beg of Bali a piece of
land and restore to His brother* Indra the
heaven that had been seized by his enemies.

THUS ENDS THE STORY OF THE INCAR-
NATIONS AS VAMANA AND TRIVIKRAMA.

♦ Indra and the gods are brothers of Vamana,
since all of them were borne by Aditi.

U «ft: ||

II H?¥4T*fCtl<>h’!r II

:o:

THE STORY OF THE INCARNATION
AS THE FISH

-:o:-

%«nc: I

Desiring to protect cows, Brahmins,
gods, good men, the Vedas, Dharma, and
Artha also, the Lord assumes bodily

forms.

srrsft i

w ] II

At the end of the last aeon, there was
an involution caused by Brahma going to
sleep. In that involution, the Earth and
other worlds became deluged by the oceans.

218

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

gqrat ii

The powerful Hayagriva (a demon), who
was near, carried away the Vedas that had
emanated from the face of the creator who
desired to close his eyes in the sleep that
came upon him on account of the aeon-end.

*TrSiT aprcforer %fern i

Learning of that act of the demon-chief
Hayagriva, Lord Hari assumed the form
of a Fish.

?nr ^TjtsrR: ^fkwrwT ^ic^mcft Jisnr \

Jn^RUmiJcT^Trl’T: *T STf^RR: II

At that time, a great royal sage,
Satyavrata by name, was performing
penance, absolutely devoted to Narayana,
sustaining himself on water alone.

$?wraniT ^d'Jorq; 1

MATSYA AVATARA

219

Once, as he was offering water-libation in
the Kritamala river, there came a tiny fish
with the water into his hard.

i

OT 3 d^^OT ^UTJTT I

CCJTTrTrT arr^rsi I

dcT srr^FT ?TT *T?TT %c?TT [rnT^] I

^Tfr?ITSSr^TT *TTS*T g ^ MUl>^Nvfa I

srfim a- urigrrjg^ 11

The compassionate Satyavrata placed it
in the water in his pitcher and took it to
his hermitage. In a night, it grew in size
in that pitcher. Satyavrata took it out of
the pitcher and placed it in the water in a
tub. Placed there, it grew to three arms*
length in a moment. It was taken out of it
and thrown into a big lake by the king.
That great fish pervaded the lake with its
body and was (still) growing continuously.
The king (then) threw into the ocean that
fish which was filling every kind of
reservoir of water.

220

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

jmre s w re g T H

Satyavrata asked it : “ Who are you that
bewilder us in the form of a fish f ”

The Lord —

“ O, subduer of enemies! on the seventh
day from to-day, these three worlds, the
Bhu, the Bhuva and others, shall become
submerged in the ocean of the deluge.

‘ sfomHFTT I ?t^t i

&5TT55T r^\ II

“ When, at that time, all the three worlds
disappear in the waters of that

dissolution, a spacious boat sent by me shall
approach you.

'rftfcr; sr#snsrmfe?r. i
srrw istff Jim n

MATSVA AVATARA

221

4t And, taking with you every kind of
herb and every kind of seed, surrounded
by the seven sages and every kind of
animal, you shall get into that big ark
and move about without any fear.

‘ foffmre i ?rt i

ft fawrfir ggifew r n

“Fasten with a long snake to the snout
of Myself, who would approach you (at
the proper time), that ark which would be
tossed about by a forceful gale.

* art WP ifa fosi ff g HgTOrg^r'lft I

fkm snft it

w(tvr ufkm* * <wmfa i

a ft ^ it

“ King ! I shall drag you along with the
sages and the boat in the ocean and
move about till Brahma’s night comes
to an end. And you shall also realise in your
own heart My glory, that which is called*
the Supreme Spirit, which I shall bless
you with and expound in reply to your
questions.”

222

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

?T5TR I

srts?at$ra a srra fe??rc?JTc??rKfaori 11

Having directed the king thus, Lord
Hari vanished. The king awaited that time,
contemplating the Lord in the guise of
the Fish.

aa: srgjf ^55: *raa: 1

qvja r a r a?:ikaaafk^m£ 3 aa 11

Then the ocean was seen to rise as a
result of huge clouds pouring down, and
over- flow the coast and flood the earth
all around.

araaraa^ 1
a^reds 11

Wiiile he was contemplating the command
of the Lord, Satyavrata beheld the boat
approach. Taking the medicinal herbs and
other creepers, he got into it along with
the best Brahmins.

ktsg^ra^dr a?n gT g r mVa gTqfe 1
t w> s, I 3 N<i $jtt f^aatna; 11

MATSYA AVATARA

223

Thought of by the king, the Lord *hen
appeared in the great ocean, a golden Fish
with a single snout, (full) nine million miles
in length.

iRrswroi fircrereiTOtf r i
3^Twiy fert ^j^urinTcij® h$W?t: ii

Tying the ark to His snout, Satyavrata
extolled the Lord. Sporting in the great
ocean, the Lord in the form of the Fish
imparted (to Satyavrata) the Truth as also
the divine (Matsya) Purana and everything
about the secret knowledge of the soul.

STrftcTq^r'TFT 3-folcrre *T I

When the time of deluge-destruction had
passed, Lord Hari killed the demon
Hayagriva and restored the Vedas
to Brahma, who had risen from his
slumber.

224

SRIMAD BUAGAVATA

sr g Tnrr i wrewtw rgn i

By the grace of Lord Vishnu, that king
Satyavrata, possessed of knowledge and
spiritual wisdom, became, Manu, the
son of Vivasvan, in this (the next) aeon.

THUS ENDS THE STORY OK THE
INCARNATION AS THE FISH.

II Sfr l>

ii ’cmrearorm ii

:o:

THE STORY OF THE INCARNATION
AS RAMA

mwal sib i

amSrsT snprfOTP* $xm smSfer: i

rm «ror 5 ram ffo ^nr 11

There was the emperor Dasaratha to
whom Lord Hari, the Supreme Being,
requested by the gods, partially manifested
Himself as tour sons, with the names
Ra ma, Lakshmana, Bharata and Satrughna.

[?r^] i

s$ar % [ mm ] h

!•

226

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

The story of that Lord Hari (as Rama),
the husband of Sita, has been extensively
described by sages who have realised the
Truth, and has been frequently heard.*

gift

qrsnre^rr f^rnir;

II

May that Rama protect us, Rama who
abandoned the kingdom for the sake of
his father and wandered from forest to
forest with His lotus-feet that could hardly
bear even the touch of His beloved’s hand,

* THE RAMAYANA. Condensed in the poet’s
own words and translated into English. Re. 1-4.
G. A. Nateean & Co.

RAMA AVATARA

227

whose fatigue from walking was removed by
Hanuman, the greatest of the monkeys and
His own brother (Lakshmana\ who in
his fury at His separation from His
beloved which resulted from His causing
Surpanakha (the demoness) to be disfigured,
frightened the ocean with the knit of His
brow, built the dam, burnt the forest of
the wicked (the demons) and became the
king of the Kosalas.

srrfa fiErcsrr i

feni srnrfirc: ftsrra

Rama, who, with His wife, received with
reverence the command of His father, who
was tied by the chords of Truth, even
though the father was a slave to a woman,
and went away to the forest leaving
His kingdom, riches, dear friends and His
abode, even as a person of detachment
would give up his life.

2 28

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

*3TtV^T

vrm

^ 5 ft«ffJTT *rf?rfof?r ERi^'a^ir 11

Who, when (his beloved) , the daughter of
the king of the Videhas, was carried away
in His absence in the forest by the base
demon (Ravana) as by a wolf, and became
separated from His beloved, wandered
about in the forest along with His brother
(Lakshmana) like some pitiable person,
thereby making clear the fate of those
attached to women.

*T5rfo i

> «t>Mcdferatjd rrsrf^rfer: gfW: i
qsSNH I'

When the righteous Rama who brought
happiness to all beings was king, there did
not exist mental and physical maladies,
old-age, fatigue, misery, sorrow, fear and

RAMA AVATARA

229

weariness. Upholding the vow of devodon
to one wife, living the life of a royal
sage, and remaining pur 3, Rama Himself
observed His Dharma as a householder,
(thereby) teaching it (to the world).

Imprinting in the hearts of those who
remembered Him, His sprout-like feet,
pricked by the thorns of the Dandaka forests,
Rama went away from Ayodhya to His
own effulgent abode.

i

f% rT^T 5TfPIT5 II

This, the annihilation of the demons
and the damming of the ocean with (the
power of) His arrows, is hardly any glory
for that king of the Raghus, who assumed
in sport that form at the entreaty of the

230

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

gods, and whose greatness hath nothing
either to excel or equal it. Are monkeys
His aids in the killing of His foes ?

3WT s ure fo r i

[stsp*] 11

The person who listens to and imbibes
the story of Rama becomes devoted to the
path of non-wickedness and gets liberated
from the ties of Action.

ii ?far n

THUS ENDS THE STORY OF THE
INCARNATION AS RAMA.

II aft: II

II , T*5J<iHi>. GJEe7*JT II

:o:

THE STORY OF THE INCARNATION
AS PAKASURAMA

0

tonsgcu i

cl^rr ^ viuVc.^M% rnfTsf^W: ||

tf’TRT fTOTJrnrq^i

fassmsmft v ?ttt srcr fsfcsrfircr n ^ it

Jamadagni married Renuka, the daughter
of Renu. Of her and that sage of the
Bhrigu line (Jamadagni), was born the very
well known Rama, who, they say, was a
partial incarnation of Lord Vasudeva, the
annihilator of the race of the Haihayas,
He who, twenty-one times, swept this
earth clean of the Kshatriyas.

232

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

« TT g^l gT d II

gffr frte i fa : sftes* i

*5TT^*yftp3^t grRt ***T ^ f7 4m II

There was the greatest of the Kshatriyas,
Arjuna (Kartavirya), the king of the
Haihayas, who obtained a thousand arms
and inviolability by foes. Sporting (in the
waters) with his excellent women, he
dammed the river with his arms ; and the
ten-headed Ravana, he imprisoned and
released as one would a monkey.

Once he came into the hermitage of
Jamadagni. The sage for whom penance
was his wealth, offered hospitality to that
king with all his army, ministers and
animals, with the aid of his Kamadhenu.

PARASURAMA AVATARA

233

*ST «ftW!RC I

* m fe mrf f fa*g’ root s^rf smmji

The valorous Arjuna saw in that hermi-
tage of Jamadagni that excelling of his
own wealth. In his pride, he set his men
to carry away Kamadhenu ; and they forci-
bly took to Mahishmati (Arjuna’ s capital)
that bleating cow with its calf.

’em smm arrmr; i

wmr armi i

q temq m tresT ^r^pr ^ i

smrarsm 3*rrf ?jsrn*H

Then, when the king had gone, Rama,
who had returned, heard in the hermitage
«*f that wickedness ol Arjuna and became
fuuous like a beaten serpent. Seizing
his terrible axe, quiver, shield and bow, the
inviolable Rama ran after Arjuna, like a
lion running after an elephant.

234

SKIMAD BHAGAVATA

rTT im o:^n n

Arjuna beheld Him rushing, as he was
entering his city, and directed (against Him)
seventeen formidable Akshauhinis * of
elephants, chariots, horses and foot. Singly,
Lord Rama destroyed them.

smrjn: 733*5^3 3 Tf fvr-

STTUTF^n^T 1

*TOts5Pi?rr q srgq ft -

Then Arjuna simultaneously aimed at
Rama arrows from the five-hundred bows
in his arms. Rama, the foremost of the
wielders of missiles, simultaneously cut all
his bows with the arrows of but one bow.

* An Akshauhini is an unit of army comprising
21,870 elephants, 21,870 chariots, 65,610 horso and
109,350 foot.

PARASURAMA AVATARA

235

%*n<tfiNWdT 1

jjsrr^errtor

^m: st^tvt ii

Of that Arjuna who, once again, lifted
mountains and trees in his hands and rushed
forward in battle, Rama, forcibly cut the
arms and severed the head with his sharp-
edged battle-axe.

faaft cTrS^TT ^3 I

arfet^t^r^rq- i

fTg^r7T55<jfr qftfossii snrfaro
ernwmra, n

When their father was killed, Aijuna’s
sons, numbering ten thousand, fled in fear.
Rama, the destroyer of enemy-warriors,
recovered the cow along with her calf,
reached the hermitage and gave the much-
harassed cow to his lather. Rama described
his exploit, (whereon) Jamadagni (his father)
said :

236

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘ ngro t vrm^nwFrc^ i

snrefordfrir g r^ j fo ri ssrr ii

“ Rama, mighty-armed Rama ! you have
committed a crime in that you have, for
no purpose, killed the king who is the
embodiment of all gods.

‘ fi; s ngn»n ' *3M STfnrrsijaraT imv. i

wvn srl# srnr *ror i

SffanimTSj sfocterc: ii

“ Son 1 we are Brahmins who become fit for
honour because of our forbearance. It is by
forbearance that Brahminic splendour shines
like the light of the sun. Hari, the Lord
and Master, is quickly pleased with persons
of forbearance.

‘ icnsrT smit i

The murder of an anointed king is
more heinous than the slaying of a Brahmin.
And this sin, you wipe out by visiting the
holy places, with your thought on the
imperishable Lord.”

PARASURAMA AVATARA

237

Mqre r t ^rfir^Ti ^ nr q T a 11

(Thus) instructed by His father, Rama
made a pilgrimage to holy places for a year
and returned to His hermitage.

fj?rr [trsre;]

mj^rfssnrm ?rir *=naraft ?r jt% i
frc gs vgfe g g r h-’TTt u r , i

3rRft^nr%fi[i?Tf«r?T gf?n* i
q r^nrprr : ^mm^rsfcr^T^on: i

ftrr 3c$r?I fog*?* II

Remembering the killing of their father,
the sons of Arjuna, getting an opportunity
when Rama, along with his brothers, had
once gone away from the hermitage into
the forests, came (to the hermitage)
desiring to wreak vengeance. They saw

the sage (Jamadagni) in the fire-chamber,
sitting in meditation. Though entreated by the
pitiable mother ot Rama, those extremely

cruel and base Kshatriyas forcibly chopped
and carried off Jamadagni’s head.

238

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

<sr^rsssra*rrsrrar fart n

The virtuous wife of Jamadagni, Renuka,
cried aloud : il Rama, Rama.” Rama
hurried to the hermitage and found his
father killed.

qrcsr ^ u

Seizing his hatchet, Rama made up his
mind to annihilate the Kshatriyas.

*Tr*r mfinsTcff a§T5rfinrrfsni^ i
*t srVhft [ JTirfjTRn i

Going to Mahishmati, whose prosperity
had already been destroyed by those
murderers of the Brahmin, Rama raised a
great mountain in the centre of the city,
with the heads of those (sons of Arjuna),
and with their blood, He created a terrible
river, striking terror in the enemies of
the Brahmins.

faremgar iforf snj: i

VpiTiis^^jc.. 5rtf^T3t^T^. ||

PARASURAMA AVATARA

239

Ridding the earth of Kshatriyas for
twenty-one times, the Lord credited nine
lakes of blood at Syamantapanchaka.

fag: sr^rsr far?: srfafa i

^^JTTcJTT5TJT?r5T?Jr|: II

Taking the head of His father, He joined
it with the trunk, in the sacrifice, and
worshipped with sacrifices the Lord, the
embodiment of all gods. His own Self.

SRifttJTT stts^ *rcrm rrflnjfanT: n

Obtaining his body in the form of effulg-
ence, Jamadagni, who was honoured by
Rama, became the seventh in the group
of the (seven great) sages.*

armgreft sfa sFrerr* tttj : i

ar refrsq Tfa ??TCr^: ST5TT?cr^: II

* The group of the seven great sagos (Sapta Rishis)
is the constellation of the Great Bear. The seven
great sages areKasyapa, Atri, Vasishtha, Viavamitra,
Gautama, Bharadvaja and Jamadagui.

240

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

And the Lord, the lotus-eyed Rama who
incarnated Himself as the son of Jamadagni,
is present even now in the Mahendra hill
having laid down the function of punishment
and become completely tranquil in mind.

ffoa <TT3T?T: 1

?t^t 3 sft: 11

Whenever there is the decline of Dharma
and the increase of Adharma in this world,
Hari, the Lord and Master, incarnates Himself.

H ffr qgg Tn rmaroro T h

THUS ENDS THE «TORY OF THE
INCARNATION AS PARASURAMA.

II sft: n

II gm T Mdrefrq T II

THE STORY OF THE INCARNATION
AS KRISHNA
o

STTregRT THE LORD’S NATIVITY

sn^Fcrr wR«n^or srsrror stcot q-qt n

Overpowered by the great burden of
millions ot demons in the form of arrogant
kings, Earth went to Brahma for refuge.

asrr a n ra refa 5 1

‘ OTOi-tfflWF’ 5^: ctt: 1

g^ftrr: 1

10

242

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

fasufwfai v ttr ^ srnr?^ smrf^aifo i*

fPTTKJTFT JT?T ^VJTIT *TOT II

Brahma, along with the gods, heard of
Earth’s plight, and told her then: “ The
Supreme Being, the Lord Himself, will be
born in the house of Vasudeva. Let the
celestial damsels be born (on earth) for
His delight and, on His command, let the
sages also be made to assume the form of
cows. Let the thousand-headed Serpent
Ananta, endowed with an element of Lord
Vasudeva, be born as His elder brother.
And Lord Vishnu’s Power Divine, the
blessed Goddess, will also be born for His
purpose.” Having consoled Earth with
these words, Brahma went to his own
great abode.

gurfoggTWTgrertr grr i

^tftt smi Ji*n$i n

KRISHNA AVATARA

243

In olden days, there lived at Mathura
Surasena, the chief of the Yadus. In that
Mathura once, Vasudeva, the son of Sura,
having (just) married, mounted the chariot for
the procession, along with his bride Devaki.

5*TRT 3T5TT? I

Wf ?TT SrS%S^T ’|

Kamsa, the son of Ugrasena, desiring to
please his sister (Devaki), took hold of the
reins of the horses. An incorporeal voice
told Kamsa: “Fool! the eighth child of
this lady, whom you are driving, will
kill you.”

Trii *rf*Rf 11

So told, the wicked and evil Kamsa
caught hold of his sister in order to kill her.

qr^STT JT5TOFT II

The illustrious Vasudeva assuaged and
told that cruel and shameless Kamsa of
loathsome act :

244

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

“ Endowed with qualities worthy of praise
by warriors, and being one who brings
glory to the Bhojas, how can you kill your
sister, a woman and that, during her
marriage ? ”

<sr sr jt i

fSfcfei ctft a gTc^r i

Though advised in this manner, the
ruthless Kamsa turned not (from his
resolve). Seeing his obstinacy, Vasudeva
told this to the cruel Kamsa: “The
sons of this Devaki whom you fear, I
shall deliver to you.”

ec sfcn sreres sn^rry it

Appreciating the reasonableness of those
words, Kamsa desisted from killing his
sister. Vasudeva also, being pleased*
praised Kamsa and entered his (own) abode.

KRISHNA AVATARA

245

^snFTf g- f^T%A% i

<5>

3TTH* II

Imprisoning with fetters Devaki and
Vasudeva, Kamsa killed each son of theirs
as he was born, iearing that he might be
the Lord.

srrcto g- fart i

Imprisoning his lather, Ugrasena, the
king ol the Yadus, the Bhojas and the
Andhakas, the mighty Kamsa himself
enjoyed the kingdom of the Surasenas.

aT^KTT^^’TT^^T'iwtJTrf^RT^': i

^■^TT JTPTOST3PT: II

With Pralamba, Baka, Chanura, Trinavarta,
Mahasana, Mushtika, Arishta, Dvivida,
Putana, Kesi, Dhenuka and other demon chiefs
like Bana and Bhauma, the powerful

246

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Kamsa, with the support of (Jarasandha)
the king of the Magadhas,* oppressed
the Yadus.

i

«H?n than* swt wr^r sresr?* i
wff snjsr 11

When six sons of Devaki had been
killed by Kamsa, that partial manifesta-
tion of the Lord whom they call Ananta,
became the seventh child in the womb of
Devaki, causing at once great delight and
great sorrow,

WTWTftr foscTTrTTT fef^TT WST WTJ^ |

*Tf*T fawWIRT mWWTT II

And the Lord who is the Soul of the
universe, understanding the fear inspired by
Kamsa in the Yadus of whom He was to
become the chief, directed (His own Mystic
Power), the Goddess Yogamaya :

* Jarasandha, the Magadha king, was Kamsa* a
father-in daw.

KRISHNA AVATARA

247

4 *T *35 ara I

rtf^nft VTFlfss^ I

^WTT 5T^t iHT STHT nm ^ I

dfe'RTT Sjfa^STCr I

amT^wJorvmtfr ^rrqn gsrerT [g^] i
srrcqrftr ?q snsn^niT q^Tr^rr wrfq^qftrii’

14 Auspicious Goddess ! go to the hamlet
Vraja, beautiful with cowherds and cows.
In the cowherd-village of Nanda, there
is Rohini, a wife of Vasudeva. As a

child in Devaki’s womb, there is mine
own manifestation called Sesha. Take it

out and deposit it in the womb of Rohini.
Then I shall partially manifest Myself as
Devakfs son ; you shall be born of Yasoda,
the wife of Nanda.

srfMNr tit irt ?rwirs*^ i

int qoft^ ^qr^qT df^off I

^ OEi cuLTfiEEf T JTST It

Thus directed by the Lord, the Goddess
went to the earth and did accordingly.

248

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

When the child in the womb of Devaki
had been transferred to Rohini by Goddess
Maya, the Lord also entered the mind
of Vasudeva.

q r m fe d ^rt i

srr qjan i feq r M -

ftcJI^JcTT f^f^t II

Then the divine Devaki bore the
manifestation of the imperishable Lord, the
welfare of the world, imparted (to her) by
Vasudeva. Devaki, who had become the
abode of Him who was the abode of the
whole universe, shone gloriously.

rri ^=T: snmsfsraT^TO

fe i ts pre ff ^ gfefciTcTT.- I
3Tt|^ RFJTfd sfbjsi
w* term ro gfcmtssft i

^T5TI fepj g gcg g thT S W r g : II

KRISKKA AVATARA

249

Seeing that Devaki of beaming sir ile,
with the unconquered Lord in her womb,
illuminating the (whole) abode with her
lustre, Kamsa said : “ This is Hari, my

death, who has surely entered her womb ;
for she was not like this before. (But) the
slaying of a woman, a sister and one
m confinement, destroys one's fame,
prosperity and life immediately.”

: sspqr sn$: I

Thus himself turning away from his
most atrocious thought, king Kamsa,
persisting in his enmity of Hari,
remained awaiting His birth.

arrcfcr: fan* I

As he was sitting, lying, standing, eating,
strolling and drinkirg, Kamsa thought (only)
of Lord Hari and saw the (whole) universe
as made up of Him.

250

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

3TO ^JOTT^rT: <TCJT5rt*T5T: I

sren srcrarfesr srerei’fsre: i

isrsft ^3: 3n»nn^g^g^r: >

5T55vi^r sndkg^rnrcjr i

Then came the most glorious of times,
possessing every excellence. The quarters
cleared and in the sky appeared
multitudes of bright stars. Cities, villages
and hamlets on the earth were full of
auspiciousness. Rivers were transparent in
their waters and lakes beautiful with
lotuses. There was the hum of bees and birds
in the clusters of flowers in the sylvan groves.
The wind blew pleasant, fragrant and pure.
The minds of the good men and the gods
were tranquil and pleased. And softly the
clouds rumbled in accompaniment to
the ocean.

KRISHNA AVATARA

251

arr^TT^ft^pTr srrs^ri n

Lord Vishnu, residing in the heart of
all, appeared in the divine Devaki, like the
full moon in the eastern quarter.

<9

STfarST^JT *ra?3TTf*nTteg<T

qferrsf* srFsc’rq^srWn n

ff^rr i

Md^nira sr^r n

Vasudeva saw that wonderful son, lotus-
eyed, four-armed, with the uplifted missiles,
the conch, the mace and the rest; having
*he mark Srivatsa, with the ruby Kaustubha
shining at his neck, in yellow garment
and beautiful like the laden cloud ; with
His thick locks clasped by the radiance

252

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

of the ear-rings and crown set with
precious lapis lazuli, and resplendent with
a big girdle, armlets, wristlets and other
ornaments.

5TcTT#T II

Understanding Him to be the Supreme
Being, Vasudeva who knew His glory, then
praised Him, with body bent low (in
reverence) and with his fear gone :

1 fq-femsfer snrrwErrsrai. g^r: sr$^: rc* i

“You have been known (by me) as the
Lord Himself, the supreme spirit that is
beyond Primal Nature, the very form
of pure experience and bliss, the onlooker
•of the minds of all.

‘ gte rgr r%*n fo%g-
« ^s^?TTt gg^ ^nrfqrr

KRISHNA AVATARA

253 :

“Lord, the Master of aii, you have
descended into my house, desiring to prc.ect
this world. (But), that Kamsa, hearing
through the servants, of your incarnation,
will even now assail us with his weapon
uplifted.”

fHsrefarr g fofe r a r i

‘3TWT ^ TTTT JIT I

srgfeSr i

fspaTrff* ^ II’

The bright-smiled Devaki, afraid of
Kamsa, besought Him: “O Lord, let not
the sinful Kamsa know of your being born
to me. Not being bold in mind, I am afraid
of Kamsa on your account. O Lord of
the form of the universe ! withdraw this
transcendental form.”

sTftrwq;—

‘ rrff *ri i

nwrromrfpng ^ g r i r uc r r r jfag w m if

254

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

The Lord —

“ If you are afraid of Kamsa, take me
to Gokula and quickly bring my Maya
that is born (there) of the womb
of Yasoda.”

frgxFsrr wnrrsrrwsrm srr^arf?^: n

Having said so, the Lord at once became
an ordinary child.

rr#i i

faferTT

SSRTelfrT *TOT ?HTT II

When taking his son, Vasudeva wished to
go out of the lying-in chamber, all the
doors (of the prison), locked and impene-
trable, gave way of themselves, like darkness
before the sun.

?rsr rrrg

Tfnrra; i

qnrtgpH««' f^ren^r?rg-

^TTgrr^PT 11

KRISHNA AVATARA

255

Vasudeva went to the hamlet of
Nanda, and making sure that the shepherds
were all in deep sleep, placed his chdd on
Yasoda *s bed, and returned to his abode,
taking with him Yasoda’s daughter.

rTrfT SJrSTT I

It 3 ?T3 I

Hearing then the cry of the child, the
watchmen arose, hurried out and reported
that birth of a child to Devaki to Kamsa
who, afraid of this, was awaiting (the news).

«frr*ns«rftrflr fosss: i

Jumping out of his bed and alarmed with
the thought that that child was his death,
Kamsa rushed to the lying-in chamber, with
(his steps) tottering and locks dishevelled.

arns TO ^ror snft i

‘ ct^ m 11 ’

The miserable Devaki told her brother
pitifully : *' Auspicious (brother) ! this is your

daughter-in-law ; you must not kill a girl/*

256

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

q rfe credi *rew i

at TOmitatatn*i i

The wicked Kamsa who was (thus)
entreated, threatened Devaki, and snatched
the child from her hand. Kamsa whose
affection had been uprooted by self-interest,
took that new born daughter of his sister
and dashed her against a slab.

srr i

‘ ffc JTqrr CrPir JT*? 3TTrT: ^ ar^FtT^I

qq- ^ gn ^iq;: jtt ftsft: qroorn^noT 11’

That child, the Goddess Maya, leapt
from Kamsa’s hand and immediately reached
the sky. Extolled by the Siddhas, Charanas
and Gandharvas, she said this (to Kamsa) :
“ Fool, what is the use ol killing me ?
He who would put an end to you, your old
foe, has been born somewhere. Do not
torment in vain these poor persons
(Devaki and Vasudeva).”

KRISHNA AVATARA

257

Assured (of iheir innocence) by the words
of the Goddess who had appeared as the
daughter, Kamsa, showing his good-will,
freed Devaki and Vasudeva from their fetters.

3tt^ cTrEfw gftrfoyn II

When the night had passed, Kamsa
called his counsellors and told them all
that Goddess Maya had spoken.

JTRsftJ r: —

s* % , wft

The Ministers —

“ If it is so, lord of the Bhojas, we
rhall now kill (all) the children, those
that are not even ten days old and those
that are ten days old, in the cities, villages,
hamlets and other places.

17

258

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘ -enfWt wftei- *rnar 5?»ft sfe&rrj i
ftwr ? nw ! j

srarr fofnw =g- 11’

“ We shall destroy those engaged in
penance and sacrifices, and 4 cows that give
the milk for the oblations. (For) the
Brahmins, cows, the Vedas, penance,
truthfulness, self-control, quietude, faith,
mercy, forbearance and the sacrifices are
the bodies of Hari.”

gJrferfo: srar: wr-wr i

ggife ^ri fTT^rwridii^?:? i

n

Taking counsel with (his) evil ministers
in this manner, the foolish demon Kamsa,
encircled by the noose of death, considered
the torture of the Brahmins beneficial
(to himself). Ordering the demons to do
havoc in all the quarters, Kamsa went
into his abode.

KRISHNA AVATAR A

259

ST M f g^Kt I TgT UH T? I

«rrf*r I i

WrT^TTTRTH tW II

The noble Nanda rejoiced when the son
was burn (to him) and calling Brahmins and
diviners, had the natal sacrament and the
worship of the ancestors and gods
performed in the prescribed manner.

The doorway, court and interior of the
houses in the Vraja were swept and
sprinkled with water ; the Vraja was (decked
with) multi-coloured flags and festoons of
garlands, bunting and sprouts. The cows,
bulls and calves were smeared with turmeric
and oil.

[ **** 1 w i tarwww 11

260

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Adorned with valuable clothes, orna-
ments, shiits and turbans, shepherds
arrived with manifold presents in their
hands.

g%tr i

And the cowherd women, delighted to
hear of the birth of a son to Yasoda,
decorated themselves with dress, ornaments,
collyrium and the like. Sprinkling each
other with water mixed with oil and
turmeric dust, they sang aloud of that
(child), the birthlcss Lord.

3 cr rra: 11

From that time, the Vraja of Nanda
began to have every kind of prosperity.

KRISHNA AVATARA

261

— the killing of putana
.o:

srflrTT sfm ’jHnr ^T^rrf^ft t

The terrible (demoness) Putana, killer of
children, being sent by Kamsa, was moving
about, killing children, in cities, villages,
hamlets and other places.

irtfarwr JTPnrrssfirrJT h

One day, Putana moving along the sky,
reached Nanda’s Gokula, and, being
capable of going wherever she desired,
entered it making herself into a woman
by her magic.

262

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Knowing her as the evil planet that
killed children, the Lord, who is of the
form of the moving and the unmoving
world, remained with His eyes closed.
That deathless Lord, her death, she took
on her lap, as one might ignorantly a
sleeping serpent, taking it for a piece
of rope.

srratem

fsRCTretfcn o^^RTTS'THt^ [^t] II

She offered Him her terrible breast
containing indigestible poison. The Lord
crushed it with His hands, and with anger,
sucked it together with her life. Thus
tortured, the demoness fell (dead).

KRISHNA AVATARA

263

— THE SHATTERING OF SAKATA
0

5 !^i qr?ft gf cwg a w r fi^; ^ i
<h i d fr r% y qmqrtap regl?

grcurrf^fgPTrj; »

Once, on the occasion of the festive
bath, marking the taking out of the child,
Yasoda bathed and slowly laid to sleep
the child in whose eyes sleep had appeared-
(But), desiring milk, He cried and kicked
His feet.

i

Kicked by the tiny feet, soft like sprouts,
of that child lying on the ground, a cart
(nearby) capsized, with its wheels and

264

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

axle overturned and the pole broken.
Nanda and others were excited on seeing
ibis wonder.

aroifr arer wrewre r a n

They did not realise the immeasurable
strength of that child.

KRISHNA AVATARA

265

THE KILLING OK TRINAVARTA

^T55*T!=efl ^3 I

Hwl a intft srmmg a wwq ii

Once, Yasoda who was fondling her son
on her hip, placed him on the ground
and hurried away on some work.

anaT srait%a; i

A demon, Trinavarta by name, a
servant of Kamsa and instigated by him,
carried away, in the foi m of a whirlwind,
this child sitting (there).

gf&msrsrt# ^srcrr crow it

For a time, (all) Gokula was wrapt
in dust and darkness.

<rww<y ? grr ^^ t Mcor«;tn*d i
smtneft Tpg 1

^re srramt^crofarj^ ti

266

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Trinavarta who, taking the form of a gale,,
was carrying away Krishna, reached the
sky and (then), with his force subdued,
he could not proceed (further), carrying as
he was a huge burden. Caught by the
neck (by the child), he could not fling
down the wonder-child.

Rendered inactive by the strangling of
his throat, with his eyes bulged out and
howling indistinctly, the dead demon fell
down in Gokula, along with the boy.

KRISHNA AVATARA

267

— THE sacrament of naming

njf: jdfem [ura^] i

*nrarar*w *j^t sra*rt: n

Garga, of very gieat penance, the
preceptor of the Yadus, remaining hidden,
secretly conducted the sacrament of the
naming of the two boys.

*nf;—

‘ SCTt 3or: I

tht fol: i

^f»Tro9«PVTrer^ «^MUig5Tr?^rT II

Garga —

“This son of Rohini shall be called
Rama as he delights friends with his
qualities ; he shall be known also as Bala
because of his excelling strength ; and
people desire to call him Sankarshana for
holding the Yadus in unity *

♦Rama is from Ram, causal, to delight ; Bai*
means strength and Sankarshna is one who draw*
people together; Krish with Sam, to draw close.

268

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘ stto* gqrfepf t wm i

grot rrfT^nn tfta- ^nff ^nreri *rcn i
*rg^«r rfi=r g fa r re ftrer? ^irar yfa 11

“ And three were the colours of this
Lord who took bodily forms in the
successive aeons, white, red and yellow ;
and now, He has become Krishna (swarthy),
and this glorious Krishna, the wise call
also Vasudeva.

‘ srffa Jrmrfr wfa * ^ i

m ^nrr: 11

“ (Nanda 1) numerous are the names and
forms of this son of yours, taken in
accordance with His qualities and acts. I
know them, but the ordinary people do not.

i

H’

“ This delighter of the Gopas and the
Gokula will bring welfare unto you and,
■through Him, you shall easily overcome
all difficulties.”

KRISHNA AVATARA

269 ~

?r*irWR *T«f ^ I

jts?: srg^at it* aiTrUR qiifmfemm 11

When after advising him thus, Garga had
left for his abode, Nanda rejoiced and
considered himselt full of blessings.

270

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

SHOWING VISVARUPA*
TO HIS MOTHKR
:o:

«^r stftemsrret ’cronrr i

l^on ^ vr%?n*rfsrfe mw n

Once, while playing, Rama and other
cowherd-boys informed (Krishna’s) mother
that Krishna had eaten mud.

‘ ^ fas^rrfiraTftR: i

SWSj ^ it II*

The Lord —

“ Mother, I have not eaten (mud) ; they
all lie ; if they speak truth, look at my
mouth with your own eyes.’’

?rft l

5*TT5^rTS*TTS?T»a$: ^rfPTgSTWT^F: II

“ Then, open (your mouth)/’ So told
(by His mother), Lord Haii, of unimpeded

•Visvarupa is the transcendental form of the
Lord, embodying within itself the entire universe.

KRISHNA AVATARA

271

Lordship, who had become a human child for
spoit, opened (His mouth).

m ?nr fro are re g re g g- m f^r; i

She saw there (in the mouth of her son)
the universe, moving and static, the sky
and the quarters ; with the globe of this
earth and its mountains, continents and
oceans, and with air, fire, moon and the stars.

5ft HTS^cnrJT^ II

Yasoda understood that her son was Hari
whose greatness was sung by the three
Vedas, the Upanishads, and the followers of
the Sankhya, the Yoga and the Satvata.*

* Sankhya is the path of knowledge ; Yoga of
action; and Satvata, an Agamik path, is that
of devotion.

272

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

^wr^f^nr? - THE BINDING OF KRISHNA

o

f^jfwwsr ^2PT Tfe II

Once, when the servant-maids of the
house vvere engaged in other work,Yasoda, the
wife of Nanda, was herself churning the curd.

cTT g r wra m STTCTrsr TRrff sfh I

a^te rr II

Desiring milk, Krishna approached His
mother who was churning, caught hold of
the churning rod, and delighting (His
mother), prevented her (from churning).

cn

gr fg Tcnft q rfrt g^q; t
?srfafsi!r 11

She suckled Him, who had mounted her
lap, with her breast which flowed of itself
in love, and looked at His face with a smile.
(But) even when He was not yet satisfied,
she left Him in haste and went away as
the milk on the oven was boiling over.

KRISHNA AVATARA

273

tort r*n

srora mn n

Biting His quivering red lip in anger, and
shedding false tears, Krishna broke the
curd-churning vessel with the pestle, stealthily
went in and ate the butter.

jft^sgraraw *mm mtor

3m sr^g rTT^RcT mr: i

Yasoda, the cowherd- woman, chased Him
whom (even) the penance-driven mind of
yogins, which should be capable of penetrating
Him, could not reach. Catching by the hand
the guilty Krishna whose eyes were trembling
in fear, she frightened and threatened to
beat Him.

to a sr§; 1

* srrsm? *t <5$ mfa 11

18

274

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

Ignorant of His power, she desired to
bind Him with a rope, one for whom there
was not in or out or front or back.

I mfKT I

sranrra^r ^rnrer: i

The poor cowherd-woman bound Him
in the mortar with the rope, as she would
an ordinary person. That rope was two
inches too short for her guilty son who was to
be bound. Hence, she joined another to it.

vS<

semnjf^rsnrrnrrtrr t

Whatever rope she brought, happened
to be two inches short. Seeing the
exhaustion of His mother, with her body
perspiring and her locks and flowers
dishevelled, Krishna, out of pity, allowed
Himself to be bound.

KRISHNA AVATARA

275

— the uprooting of the

PAIR OF ARJUNA TREES
:o:

s?mnr mnft snj: i
«ncnf^M ^ ^TTTFrraft i
5tt iwr ii

When His mother was engrossed in

domestic duties, Lord Krishna beheld a
pair of Arjuna trees,* which were previously
Guhyakas, f the sons of the Lord of

wealth (Kubera), who in the past had been
transformed into trees by the curse of

Narada, on account of their haughtiness.

sptpt snrrerr i

Krishna slowly went to where stood the
pa ; r of Arjuna trees. By this mere

* Terminalia Arjuna .
t Guhyakas are a class of divine beings.

276

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

entering (the space between them), the
mortar (to which He was tied) became
transverse.

it

Forcibly uprooted by the rope-girdled boy
who was dragging that rolling mortar, the
two trees, with their trunks, boughs and
leaves shaking fiercely as a result of the

impact of the strength of the Supreme, fell
down with a terrible noise.

?rsr fogrl wjwt tjt i

The two Siddhas, rid of their impurity,
went round and bowed to the Lord tied
to the mortar, and taking His leave, went
to the north.*

* Their abode, the city of Kubera, Alaka, is in the
Himalayas, in the north.

KRISHNA AVATARA

277

KILLING OF VATSA

0

^ 7 ^: 7 u T<i«s4 i ii^vii^N i it

Once, as Krishna and Rama, along with
their friends, were tending the calves on
the banks of the Yamuna, a demon came
desiring to kill them.

d sfapr simgsu-ra cR: I

5T^W*«7 II

Seeing that the demon had taken the
form of a calf and had entered the flock,
Lord Hari showed him to Balarama and
slowly approached him as if He knew
nothing.

wjrfttsrr sirfem^sftRarq; i

H ’TTWJTtI: TTTcT £ II

278

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Seizing (the demon-calf) by its hind-legs
and tail, the imperishable Lord wheeled it
(to death) and sent its corpse against a
a wood-apple tree. The huge corpse of the
demon fell, along with the wood-apples it
brought down.

KRISHNA AVATARA

279

33RCP — killing of laka
o

sm&s sri i

JTrWT 5I^r5T«TrwrRj 'TPT^T It

Once, each desiring to make his herd of
calves drink water, the boys approached a
tank, made (the calves) drink and them*
selves also drank water.

*T I «T5F7T ^ WSRSd II

The boys saw there a huge being'
standing (in the tank). He was Baka, a
great demon, who had taken the form
of a crane.

€|T ^mr^Tt r4^>T: i

fsRT Sim II

Hastening towards Krishna, that powerful
crane of sharp beak swallowed Him.
And Rama and other boys, seeing Krishna

280

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

swallowed by the huge crane, became
unconscious, like the senses in the absence
of life.

Baka vomitted Krishna who burnt his
throat like fire, and again came up to
kill Him. Krishna caught Baka, the
friend of Kamsa, who was rushing (at
Him), by his bill and toie him asunder
with His arms.

KRISHNA AVATARA

281

mtravp KILLING OF AGHA

o

*rsft

smr^rgmFT feffufcrt i

stt%

erc ^ ir^ ^ r 11

Once, desiring to have breakfast in the
forest, Hari rose up in the morning and
left the Vraja. Along with Him, boys

started out in glee in their thousands,

driving their calves in front of them.

^T'nr^rt.ssTsffeyrfsp firsiw^r^crsr 5 ! 11

Herding their calves also with the

innumerable calves of Krishna, and tending
them, the boys played many juvenile

sports in several places (in the forest).

€^Tsvr*rr*r5r»rt *r553 ! 1

a *i

S?J5t«T 5T^f«TTV^T II

282

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Then rushed up a great demon, Agha by
name. Seeing the boys, the wicked demon
took the huge and wonderful form of a
python and laid himself on the way, with
his cave-like mouth agape, desiring to
devour (the boys and Krishna).

ftfsrsr-

5T cpjt i

II

i€ Will it swallow us if we enter its
mouth? If it does so, this will also perish
soon at His hand, like Baka.” With these
words, the boys looked at the captivating
face of the enemy of Baka (Krishna), and
went into (its mouth), laughing aloud and
clapping their hands.

qrt * iftwr:

ir?ft$nTT%T II

(Bat) the demon, who was waiting for the
enemy of Baka (Krishna) to enter his
mouth, did not swallow the boys with their
calves.

KRISHNA AVATARA

283

Seeing them, Hari, who affords security
to all and sees everything, entered the
demon’s mouth.

rrtm li

£

Krishna swelled in size in the throat of
that demon who wanted to crush Him.

cfcnsfofrpresr fr s gg T Hiuil

<K

*i * 4fe<ft« TrgT fe foflat srfe: i!

Of that demon of huge body then, whose
throat had been closed, whose eyes had
bulged out and who was rolling this side
and that, the wind that was full and pent
up within his body burst open the head,
and passed out.

284

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

sn^s i

rgqT ^ yfeg r ra r <r^fenr: g*r:
q^g n vj^rrft snnrr;*. fgrf^rsrl n

When along with the breath, the life
(also) of that demon had passed away,
Lord Krishna raised to life with His glance
the dead calves and friends, and accompanied
by them, came out of the mouth (of
the demon).

KRISHNA AVATARA

285

— the carrying away

OF THE CALVES AND COWHERDS
BY BRAHMA

JErfhgfojWTtfta VTWf^IW^II

Rescuing in that manner the calves and
the cowherds Irom death in the mouth
of Agha, the Lord brought them to the
sands of a river and said this :

‘ m ^nsr%r: i

<fterr 11’

“ We must eat here; the day is well-
advanced and we are afflicted with hunger.
Let the calves drink of the waters and be
grazing at leisure in the neighbourhood/’

qrrofaFsrrs*? 5rrs% i

gsFsrr ftmrfa 335: g^r it

The boys said “ Be it so made the calves
drink, herded them on the meadow, unstrung
their slings contairing their food and ate
in delight with the Lord.

286

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

snaiRJTT: snrnNn 1 : I

qfta fe w

&& ssTwrt^tfapfrrcr: 11

The cowherd-boys who were sitting round
Krishna in many circular rows, with dilated
eyes, and facing Him, shone in the forest
(there), like the petals round the pericarp of
a lotus.

fri fasn fskscn i

SSFcTt <5T%^Cr: II

Each showing to the others the tastefulness
of his food in eveiy detail, laughing and
making others laugh, they ate along with
the Lord.

[ vrnrcr ] gssn^^^geiTrJTg i

ft ii

When the cowherds were thus eating,
lost in the imperishable Lord, the calves,
tempted by the grass, dived far into
the forest.

KRISHNA AVATARA

287

*

sr’TTfafFSTSST ^ II

“ Friends, stop not from enjoying your
repast ; I shall bring here the calves.' 1
Having said thus, Lord Krishna went, with
a morsel of food in his hand, searching tor
their calves in caves of mountains, groves
and thickets.

<tctt ^ i

^ freorT fsrfarerpr ii

Not finding the calves then, and not finding
the cowherds also on the sands, Krishna
searched lor both all over t lie lorest.

cTfHr^ri^Taj fewjfircii
^rsOTs^srJTW 5: 11

Not finding the calves and the
cowherds anywhere in the forest, the
omniscient Krishna at once understood that
that was all the doing of God Brahma.

to* $tort *r§ awrnrJTT * ^ 1

288

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

To delight then the mothers of the
cowherds and god Brahma, the Master who
is the creator of the universe, trans-
formed Himseli into both, the cowherds and
the calves.

snrfircrsrsn^ 11

Collecting the calves which were Himself
by the cowherds who were Himseli, playing
games which were Himseli, the soul of
everything Himseli entered the Vraja.

TJf sfogr rTrTfgnr 11

Having driven and penned separately the
calves of the several cowherds, the Lord
entered the abode oi each (as the cowherd).

fcWFJTrSSfJTfn’SSrJTTit gc S TT refaMm W\

*nr f^^T% II

Thus, in the guise of the cowherds and
the calves, that cowherd who is the Soul (of
all), Himself protecting Himself, sported
Himseli in the forest and in the Gokala for
a year.

KRISHNA AVATARA

289

shto sfcq: ii

Thereupon, Brahma came in a wink
of his time, and beheld Hari who was
sporting as before with all his followers
(cowherds and calves), for a year.

areas# srererar: agqw i v ^ i

retire sre^niT: ^Wtst^reT^r: i

feftfsre: grRnft ^mrfeir: i

At once, even as Brahma was looking on,
all the cowherds appeared (as the Lord), cloud-
blue, dressed in orange silk, four-armed, with
conch, discus, mace and lotus in the hands,
with diadems, ear-rings, necklaces and
garlands of sylvan flowers, the very form of
pure Truth, Knowledge, boundless Being and
B1 iss only.

«re qra g r rere rs ^ft S K i

«ttot n

19

290

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Thus did Brahma see for once all those
beings as one with the Supreme Spirit, by
the light of which, all this, the universe
with all (things) moving and static, shines.

qrnTJFt srs? ll

O ! the fortune of the inhabitants of the
hamlet of the cowherd Nanda, to whom that
Supreme Bliss, the full and eternal Being, the
Brahman, was a friend !

KRISHNA AVATARA

291

— thi killing of dhenuka

: o :

{ ] arnTgiffq^cr't sr^ii

(Once), Balarama and Krishna, surrounded
by cowherds, went to a palm-grove.

sres: srf^q- 5TTf«ri I

^rf^r tnrnrprrcT rrerifar 11

Balarama entered and, like an elephant,
forcefully shook the palms with his arms and
brought down their fruits.

T?r?ri 5r^ Erer ui r t^ r^nr; i

Hearing the noise of the falling fruits, a
demon (there), in the form of an ass, ran up,
shaking the earth and the mountains.

sr *j?terr srr^^fot^rfuM i

f^r^T fTTOW5T W T Or fM ^ MflfblrTa II

Balarama caught him by the feet, wheeled
him round with a single hand, and when
he had died of that, flung him on the top
of the palms.

292

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

*rcr: $*or r gr §3*^ t> i

5d<t|FVlEJT: II

dfc a F T H T dd i fTTOTt ^UW [ 3* ] ^t^TT I

srrf|on^oT?TiT^ 11

Then all the kith and kin of Dhenuka (the
demon), enraged because one of them
had been killed, attacked Krishna and Rama,
braying. As each ran up, Krishna and Rama,
sportfully took it by its hindlegs and fiung
it against the palms.

KRISHNA AVATARA

293

— the subduing of

THE SERPENT KALIYA

0

cdt sr *r*nrr* f^rsnrsn;: i

*i*r 1 [nsr^] srfefafcnii

Thus sporting, Lord Krishna who was
once wandering in Brindavana (the forest
adjoining the Yamuna), went to the Yamuna,
without Balarama, (but) surrounded by
His friends.

^rrf^ir wrTfowrai^; ^f»fle*rfrRr i

v

uamiroi srr&rai «Ta rejy rft?Tr? *nrr: 11

There was in the Yamuna a pool, infested
by Kaliya (a serpent), whose water was
boiling with flaming poison and into which
birds flying over it were falling.

^ *srem*IJTJTTSTrT1T: I

?mTs%giF-

*tt^5rt ii

294

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Finding that Kaliya to be powerful with
fiercely virulent poison and the river
poisoned by it, Krishna, who had incarnated
Himself for subduing the wicked, got up
a very high Kadamba* tree, struck His
palms over His arms, girded up his loins
fast, and jumped into the poisonous waters.

WITS 5ST II

Seeing its abode in that pool assailed, and
intolerant of it, the serpent came up,
furiously bit at the vital parts Krishna,
blue like a beautiful cloud, and covered
Him with its coil.

»jsrw: i

«rvrm,

Nauclea Kadamba.

KRISHNA AVATARA

295

With his coil aching as a result of
Krishna’s body swelling, the serpent
abandoned Hina, lifted up its hoods in fury
and came round and r< und. The Prime
Being mounted its hoods, danced, bent (its
hoods) with his foot and subdued it.

*T*T*T5rTs**T3$nrm aft<nr^Trm c 11

Krishna (then) set free the serpent whose
hoods had been crushed and who had
swooned as a result of the kicks of His
feet. Given leave (by the Lord), the serpent-
king Kaliya departed to an island in
the ocean.

296

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

THE killing of pralamba

«5%?n i

SR ^wr: ^^4 r '-: I

%njr Tfl^rfhiH^frh^f^T^ II

Summer came, looking beautiful like
Spring itself. Accompanied by Balarama
and surrounded by cowherds and flocks of
cows, Lord Krishna entered the forests
that were in the bloom, sounding His flute.

*raa*T**T?rt»Tf*Nrrar^ ^^euc' h i

<*v

*TT , T'Rift II

As Rama and Krishna were tending the
cows in that forest along with the
cowherds, a demon named Pralamba came
in the guise of a cowherd desiring to carry
them away.

a fasrirfa ^rcrrsf wir; **4#^ i

BjrcUJt^cT Ffr^RKT eRR II

Though Lord Krishna, the omniscient,
knew him, He approved of friendship with
him, (thus) intending to kill him.

KRISHNA AVATARA

297

rns ifo rr STTS

% *rm f^f^rrm ac?s£bj?T TOFroqji

For that purpose. Krishna, who knew
(many) games, called the cowherds and said :
4t Gopas ! we shall group ourselves in
proper pairs and play. 1 ’

f^on * PT q T < s ft qm w I

t**r sr^rsft ii

Th. j y played many games in which one
Corned another. Defeated, Lord Krishna
bore Sridaman*, Bhadrasena * bore
Vrisbabha * and Pralamba (the demon)
bore Balarama.

ggrgd fe < T a*m f^nr i

W&1 gf^RTT ||

* Names of some of the cowherds.

298

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Having carried Balarama, heavy like a huge
mountain, the great demon stopped and
assumed the miraculous form that was his
own. The fearless Balarama angrily struck
him on his head with his firm fist.

(Thus) struck, the demon, whose head
was immediately shattered, fell down dead.
Uttering a terrible howl.

KRISHNA AVATARA

299

— the STEALING of the
GARMENTS OF THE GOPIS

iroir nrfe ?T ^ 5 Tf ^m^rr: i

In the first month of the Winter, the
maidens of Nanda’s Vraja observed the
austerity ot worshipping Goddess Katyayani^
sustaining themselves with the food offered
in sacrifices.

*3r*r?7 r f sfk: 11

They worshipped the Goddess Bhadrakali
that Nanda’s son, Krishna, might become
their lord.

*rar rftt faf^r 1$^ 1

smite s^t srmst fs*rs&tte5 5RT i*

Once they went to the river and as
usual, placed their garments on the bank
and joyously sported in the water, singing
of Krishna.

300

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

^oft sfawreui *fc*r*s i

5^rfk: sr5^ sms: <rfcgr M g *rre 5 1
4 am*T3Tr«T55r; «rrcn srg^croOi

Krishna gathered together their garments,
quickly mounted a Nipa* tree, laughed
together with the laughing boys and said
jocularly : “ Come here, ladies, and as you
please, each of you, take her garment.”

?rpr sgr yw q ft^g rr: 1

sftfe?rr: STTcTgTHT

Seeing that prank of Krishna, the Gopis,
who overflowed with love for Him, looked
at each other in their bashfulness, smiled
and emerged not out of the water.

‘ *35 firaw *T 3 [cft ^^TcTT

snf rss;jiT&

snif^nx 11’

Ixora Bandhucca.

KRISHNA AVATARA

301

The Lord—

“ It is an insult to the gods that you
who are observing an austerity have
entered the waters naked : for the removal
of that sin, join your hands in salute on
your heads, prostrate yourselves on the
ground (then), and take your garments.’"

errwiT^raT sst i

Seeing them salute and bow in that
manner and satisfied with it, the merciful
Lord, Kiishna, gave them back the clothes.

crrar i

‘ fafcrt ^T^rt i

;t snwpr i

qrrTT^T 93V fastf JP&TT STOP’ It

Understanding their desire, Krishna told
the women : “ Virtuous ladies, I have
understood your idea in worshipping Me.
The desire of those whose minds are
absorbed in Me does not deserve to become
the desire for enjoyment. With success
in your austerity, you go to the Vraja.

302

SRIMAD BH AG A VAT A

These nights (that are to come) you shall
sport with Me/*

m i sra r i

Thus commanded by the Lord, the
maidens, who had achieved their object,
entered the Vraja with reluctance,
contemplating the lotus-feet of Krishna.

KRISHNA AVATARA

303

— THE LIFTING OF THE
GOVARDHANA MOUNTAIN

«*nFrfwr«s* TTT'TR f?3f «TTiT^5TT?mH:il

Lord Krishna, continuing to live in the
Vraja itself along with Balarama, saw the
cowherds busy over the preparations to
celebrate the festival of Indra.

‘ fan *rts?r stsvwt ^ ^wth: i

fa ^%r: m JT*sn II’

He modestly enquired of the elders,
(who were) led by Nanda : ‘ Tell Me, father,
what is this excited activity that hath come
to you ? What is the fruit of this ? For whom
is this intended ? What are the materials
of this propitiation ? ”

STRp —

' irsfoft sTi ra T fo a ft S farare g iaiqfa * i

iJcTTTTT sfrOR ofa* TO: II

3 cTTcT 5T smfWT I

sRgfa fosyjfag%a% ii’

304

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Nanda —

“ Indra is the Lord of rain ; the clouds
are His own forms and they pour down
the waters, the gratifiers and the very life
of beings. Child, that Master, the Lord
of the clouds, do we and other men
worship, with offerings and sacrifices, for
attaining the fruits of Dharma, Artha
and Kama.

sffrm a r H, —

‘ STFRt ST!g: I

WXTPIW: WlrtfoC II

The Lord—

“ A living being is born as a result of
its actions and disappears similarly ;
pleasure, misery, fear and security, — (all
this) it comes by as a result of its actions.
(Therefore) of what use is Indra to beings
acting in accordance with their respective
Karma ? Hence, taking his stand on his
nature, man should do his duty and
worship what is his own Karma.

KRISHNA AVATARA

305

‘ gnc s rerr < r %«t T gq fk i

ipi iftf f Wt i

aTOft

*rcr: n’

“ That indeed is one’s God whereby one
would live in happiness ; and we live by
our cows and are always denizens of the
forests and the mountains. Therefore let
the worship of cows, Brahmins and the
mountain be begun.”

c r g rF g? T sprai n - ftnarrsprr i

shrR fjTSTPT H^mT: &%*{ ||

Nanda and others listened to and
received well those words spoken by the
Lord, who, as the embodiment of Time,
desired to put an end to Indra’s pride.

wan ** i

They did everything as Lord Hari told
them ; with the flocks of cows in front
of them, they went round the mountain
(Govardhana).

20

306

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

not gfoSi ' ;tt*t Starei i

JTra^J^fT^T f^R^RTJ i
5 T?^ftf^JTrait: t fl eg ra i ^dawn 11

Infuriated Indra set in action the host of
annihilating clouds known as Samvartaka.*
Let loose, those clouds worked havoc in
the hamlet of N*nda with their downpour
and violence.

a*c*n^rerf^n%;r <rcnrT i

*rt<*TT ifrrrsr sforrcrf *rg: n

Cows began to shiver on account of the
excessive rain and wind. Afflicted with
the cold, Gopis and Gopas sought refuge
in Krishna.

g fc v frr jftsr^sn^r^ i

'Fn* sftsroT *t?5*i*: it

Uprooting the Govardhana mountain with
a single hand, Lord Krishna held it up,
as a boy might a mushroom.

* A group of clouds which appear at the time
•f the deluge of the universe.

KRISHNA AVATARA

307

am sfcnftfor; i

tfummuh ^qrmf 3 [ *rari 11

The cowherds then entered the hollow
beneath the mountain, with all their
possessions and people. Looked at (by all),
Krishna held up the mountain for seven
days and did not move from the place.

g r wiwm rgyrrar <t PniT^i(i sfafirmrer: i
f^rmT 11

Wonder-struck on seeing the greatness
of the power of Krishna, Indra, with his
pride gone and his resolve (alien, withdrew
his clouds.

^ksforqieraNiran i

Kamadhenu* came to Krishna from the
heaven of the cows and with her own
milk anointed Krishna and hailed Him as
the Lord of the cows.

* The heavenly miloh-cow which arose from the
miiky-ooean when it was churned. See above.

308

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

— THE sport of dance

snrarprfa «tt i

cfapr =c?g JRsre; *wuTr*irgqrrfsr?n 11

Seeing those nights, with the jasmines in
bloom on account oi the autumn, the
Lord desired to sport, resorting to His Maya

3Pt 1 smT€5TT fRTfTq; I
fonfsr ift?r er^Tffsrsfa
Enrfercr; ^nT^rnnsrerf; i

ST 5fTT?m 3RRTRyf:^55T: ||

Seeing the moon full in its orb, Krishna
played sweet music captivating the
hearts of women. Hearing the music which
increased their love, the women of the Vraja,
with their minds possessed by Krishna, came

KRISHNA AVATARA

309

to where Krishna was, unknown to each
other, and with the pendents in their
ears quivering with their speed.

‘ nra m itstoftp fsnr f% ^T^rf^r i
grere r renre n

The Lord —

“O blessed ladies! welcome to you;
what pleasure of yours shall I carry out ? Is
the Vraja free from calamity f Tell Me
the cause of your coming (here).

* gfa g m zrer i

fkfozrfer <Tcfter?ft: 11

“ Fine-waisted ladies 1 go back to the
Vraja ; women should not stay here ; your
husbands will be searching (for you); serve
your lords like virtuous women.

4 s sr re T i qrfr ytratsgqft&iRi 1

51 CHIT JTf^TTcI rTrft 5J5F*. ll’

il Love for Me is born more through hear-
ing, seeing, contemplating and singing of

310

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Me than by (physical) proximity (to me).
Hence go back to your houses.’*

‘

<rr^*j<3g i

iTrfTT *TT WWW T Pt

^rt ^rorssfcg^fT vrsfo g*p?rg ii

The Gopis —

“ Lord ! you must not speak heartlessly in
this manner. Leaving all material objects,
we have become devoted to your feet.
Invincible Lord 1 forsake us not but accept
us, even as God, the Prime Being, accepts
those desirous of liberation.”

wfk faffed ?rmr *ft$tw3rba?:: i
» rl *fl n cwrcrai ii

Hearing these plaintive words of those
women, the Lord, who was the Master
of the masters of Yoga, laughed and, in his
compassion, delighted the Gopis, though
He revelled only in Himself.

KRISHNA AVATARA

311

US UTOi ^0TTw55S*TFrr JT£Tc*W I

«rmrrs irfsft w

Having thus received honour at the hands
of the Great Lord, those proud women
considered themselves superior to (all other)
women in the world.

sfapi STS ITCTT^FT stsFSTsffeTS II
Seeing their pride, the Lord disappeared
at that very place, in order to purify them.

sreng fr *t€*Nt srrrTffJTT: i

^nT^fcTT 3ig: 3^1 rT^FTfl'^r^%?TT: II

When the Lord had suddenly vanished,
the women of the Vraja whose minds were
on Him only, who talked of Him only,
who imitated His actions, who had
become Himself, joined together and sang
of Him, awaiting His arrival.

‘ 3FTRT *3T*.

A

SPIcT ? f^T r ft |

312

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

“ By your birth, the Vraja flourishes ever
more, and here, the Goddess of Fortune
abides permanently. Beloved Lord ! see,
those who are your own, those whose life
Is in you, are searching for you in (all)
directions.

“ Verily, you are not the son of a
cowherd- wo man ; you are the onlooker who
is the inner soul of all beings. Friend 1
requested by Brahma to protect the
universe, you arose in the race of the
Satvatas.

amunrjH sftwsra*

^ 3RTS 11*

KRISHNA AVATARA

313

“ They are the bestowers of plenty on
earth who sing your nectar-like story, the
rejuvenator of scorched souls, praised by
men of vision, the destroyer of sin,
auspicious to the ears, extensive and
beautiful/’

tflarwre'sn:; q m g r gT wn n wra * 11

Thus did the Gopis sing and prattle in
manifold ways. To them, Krishna manifested
Himself, with His lotus-face smiling, wearing
yellow garments and garlands and looking
more Love-like than Love himself.

a xi;

: ren mm f hdWtur 11

Seeing Him, their most beloved Lord,
who had come, the women, with their
eyes blooming in love, rose up all
together, even as bodies arise on seeing
life coming.

314

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

arnfa re rT fir f^ r jfesi fag: >
traroicr jftfa^ ^TSRftenrjjsKb i
efrg fa f fa r a * sftg ^ l ^ r ^^ T gfo : II

Taking them, Lord Krishna entered
the sands of the Yamuna and there begat*
the sport of the Rasa-dance,* accompanied
by those beautiful women who were
devoted to Him and who, in joy, had
entwined each other’s arms.

SJrsrr <wrewrtqra qrrsrrfarfofrfan i
ft srnsri^r fa*TriTi rwisft n

Multiplying Himself into as many as the
women, the Lord delighted with them in
sport, though He revelled only in Himself.

* The Rasa is a circular dance by a ring of men and
women placed alternately.

KRISHNA AVATAR A

315

3|&WV|:— -the killing of arishta
:o:

am furors*: i

*TS[f *T5T^lTr«Fm: 5FTTtm^ ^f^TcTTH , It

Then to the Gokula came Arishta, a
demon in the form of a bull, with a huge
hump and body, making the earth, stamped
by his hooves, quake.

ar g ftg" T *z* ga fr pr Tftmt i

f^wr ^rif srcw *13: 11

The Gopis and Gopas were frightened
on seeing that bull of sharp horns.
Crying ‘Krishna, Krishna 1 , they all went
to Krishna for refuge.

dm qr a?d ^ foggi

gmP K m 5TOH I

3*<h formt g f bftfift »

316 SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Krishna caught by its horns the bull
that was rushing up, overpowered it by his
foot and killed it ; it fell down, suffered
extreme pain and then passed away to the
abode of death. The gods showered
iflowers and lauded Hari.

KRISHNA AVATARA

317

W* —PREPARATIONS for the
BOW-FESTIVAL

S3

5Tcfl < l

aumUT^ 5f^TT«N WTTS^TT^ M t S TC Id II

When the demon Arishta had been killed'
by Krishna of wondrous deeds, Kamsa, the
Bhoja king, then called Mushtika, Chanura,
Sala, Tosalaka and other ministers of his
and his elephant-keepers and told them —

^Tff ^W l I rfcTT JTfl W?3: %55 ^n&cTJ II

“ Hear this, O heroic Chanura and Mushtika 1
In Nanda's Vraja live Rama and Krishna,
the sons of Vasudeva ; from them has
death been foretold for me.

* nw rr fag qaraft SrSfcri <ig«flqWT n

“ They must be killed by you when thejr
are brought here, in the sport of wrestling.

318

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘ itststt; fer^TT fefgnrr I

qfcr sTTsn^ri <7^3 11

“ Let various kinds ol stands be put up,
surrounding the wrestling ring. Let men
from the city and the country witness the
free fight.

‘ JTSTJTTST I

fsr<r: ^^qrtft^T srfe imrfldl 11

‘‘You my good elephant-keeper 1 Let the
elephant Kuvalayapida be kept at the door
of the arena and kill with it those

two enemies of mine.

‘ anrwRri 11’

“ And on the fourteenth day of this
fortnight, let the worship of the bow be
begun in the prescribed manner/*

g i

‘ 5T^5T ^ |

<nqrspr sm i

KRISHNA AVATARA

319

Having thus commanded, Karasa, who was
versed in the science of politics, said to
Akrara : Go to Nanda’s Vraja ; there

the two sons of Vasudeva live. Bring
them along with Nanda and other Gopas
with their tributes, lor seeing the festival
of the bow and the splendour of the
Yadava capital.”

c ragrf ^ Jrferursr i

^rs M

Having ordered Akrura also in this
manner, Kamsa sent away his ministers
and entered his apartment. And Akrura
also went to his abode.

320

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

3TEKTT T TJT»m — THE ARRIVAL OF AKRURA

STJwl I

*rs^»rf£r »rcnmft vFT^TTf^rot i

«rCTg^T5T I

‘ f% rpir ^rftd ^ ^ jpFnvrer fcspnj’it

Mounting the chariot, Akrura went to
the Gokula of Nanda. With great devotion
to the lotus-eyed Lord, he thought
on the way : “ What auspicious thing did
I do that I am going to see Lord Hari
to-day ? ”

srrH*^ajTCTg»mr<T: i
^51 ’em sr sret iftafrcd ttctI i

3nrf«7<ft 11

Akrura reached the Gokula in his chariot
and the sun also set. He saw at the
milking yard in the Vraja Krishna and
Balarama, of charming laces, the foremost
of the beautiful, the cause and the Lords
of the universe.

KRISHNA AVATARA

321

trrm ^ergmsuiuit: 11

Quickly jumping down from his chariot,
Akrura, trembling with love, fell like a
stick at the feet of Rama and Krishna.

[jr] i

*HRrewf^ r<TTwr% rrrrfW i

sfR: sr«Tddc*T55: ||

With hairs standing on end, and lost in
love, Akrura could not announce himself.
Understanding who he was, the Lord who
is affectionate to those who bow to Him,
became pleased, drew Akrura to Himself
with his discus-marked hand and embraced
him.

Muidgqjjta jtstjrp i
qgfcsrr TTfcrar «noft sR^rrs^ft £5**. 11

The high-minded Ralarama also embraced
Akrura who had bowed to him, and
taking Akrura’ s hand in his, brought him
home, along with his brother Krishna.

21

322

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

mw wr sri q ufa wre r flrrasn 11

Sitting comfortably on the cot and highly
“honoured by Rama and Krishna, Akrura,
questioned by the Lord (about the
purpose of his visit), related everything.

^ «K

^ farT* *TOTSsf^ fe^rj: II

Hearing the words of Akrura, Krishna
and Rama, the destroyers of enemy
warriors, laughed and informed their father
Nanda of the command of their king,
(Kamsa).

3 W?erT srcsrftr i
iTffct *srnu

mfet f^y’ ii

And Nanda commanded the cowherds :
u Collect all the products of our dairy ;

KRISHNA AVATARA

323

let presents be taken and carts be made
ready. We shall proceed to Mathura
to-morrow and give our products to
the king. We shall witness the great
festival. It is said, people from the
countryside will go there. ”

smgnrcfa srsrra: i

The Lord reached the sin-destroying
Yamuna. Akrura took leave of Rama and
Krishna, and performed ablution in the
prescribed manner.

.estss&d smferai n

Repeating the eternal Veda, Akrura
irrmersed himself and (there) in the waters
of the Yamuna, he saw the same Rama
and Krishna together.

qiHsWT ft |

<TWtrST#

5^ TOTsnr^^t^ron^ it

324

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Again, Akrura beheld there (Adisesha),

crested with a thousand hoods. And on his
lap, the Supreme Being, cloud-blue, wearing
yellow silk, four-armed, serene and with eyes
red like the lotus-petal.

STrFTT

sr^ii

With supreme devotion and with palms
joined in respect, Akrura softly extolled
the Lord.

^ 3: 1

«T 3 rT Jrnrerfrrqr-fR: 11

Having shown His form in the waters
to Akrura who was extolling Him, Lord
Krishna withdrew it again, even as a
dancer would his dance.

HTsf’T STTfrTT^ sfapT I

fsprfcr ^ wt wm fgr ’h

And Akrura, seeing the Lord disappear,
came to the chariot, wondering. The Lord

KRISHNA AVATARA

325

asked him : “ What is the wonder on
earth, in the skies or in the waters that
has been seen by you ? You look like one
who has seen a wonder, ”

3*5*7*:—

Os

• SFKcTTJftf prefer HIT 31% 1

'O

rHrfnr fgr?arTrff^ crrfa f% ftrorcn ii

Akrura —

“ Whatever wonders there are on earth,
in the skies or in the waters, all of them
are in you, who is of the torm of the
universe. What is it that has not been
seen by me, who has truly seen ?”

ffgcruM^giir ^<jt Ihr f ^ rrw% n

Having said thus, (Akrura) the son of
Gandini, drove the chariot and brought
Rama and Krishna to Mathura when the
day was coming to a close.

326

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

ST?JTnT%5T: — THE entry of the lord

INTO MATHURA

I

Meantime, Nanda and other cowherds
had reached in advance the garden at the
city gate, and remained there, awaiting
(Rama and Krishna).

fTF^T^rr? STW* SPIGOT! I

‘WwrfasTcTTO* 3ft I

v^nrt i

fr^r ^sfrsprq; ’11

Joining them, the Lord, who is the
Master of the universe, said to Akrura :
“ Enter you first the city with the chariot and
go to your house. After killing the enemy
of the Yadus, I will go to your house
with my elder brother, and please my
friends.”

KRISHNA AVATARA

32 ?

*rnwr fwn fgr i

S?y ate s*nrl% 3 i 35 ?nr1 it

So told by the Lord, Akrura became
somewhat dejected, entered the city, informed
Kamsa of his having done his work, and
went to his house.

*T3*:r surnifirq-: <rfhrrf*cT: it

Then, in the afternoon (of the following
day), Lord Krishna, accompanied by Balarama
and surrounded by the cowherds, entered
Madhura desiring to see (the city).

Mounting the tops of the mansions, ladies
with their lotus-faces abloom with delight,
showered heaps of flowers on Balarama
and Krishna.

3 ?t: *13^: ^fTJrsja? \

328

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

The imperishable Lord then enquired of
the citizens the place where the bow was,
and entering that place, beheld the bow,
wonderful like the rainbow, with most costly
trappings, guarded by numerous men and
kept worshipped.

qowmra ir it

Though prevented by the men, the exceed-
ingly powerful Krishna broke the bow.
The noise of the bow that was being broken
filled the skies, heaven and earth, and (all) the
quarters ; and on hearing it, Kamsa
became alarmed.

rTsffenTT^TS^Tr STT^jHdrftfo I

STT^rr maj 3T5Tg; II

The guardians of the bow, along with
their followers, surrounded (Krishna and
Rama), shouting : “ Catch them.'* Infuriated,

(Krishna and Rama) took two broken pieces
of the bow and killed them.

KRISHNA AVATARA

329

^ qfcrafka SrsrT •

f*ra»*r ^Tf^ftS^sTg^fawR. i

f^rcnrl fart *ft|: i

3^m g*i nfir m&n »

Having killed the forces sent by Kamsa
also, the two went out of that apartment
(of the bow) and wandered about merrily.
The sun (then) set, and Krishna and Rama,
surrounded by the cowherds, went out of
the city, to where their carts were. Know-
ing what Kamsa desired to do, the two
spent the night happily.

330

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

THE KILLING OF KAMSA

:o:

f H^rTT^r flT I

qy r ^nr^ r ^cf t f^r ^ ?r 11

And Kamsa saw evil omens heralding
death, became afraid of it and, in his
anxiety, had no sleep.

sgw*rr ftfe [srfasrr] ^ ^rs;«reTgf^i
^T^mr^r I 11

When the night had come to an end and
there was dawn and the sun had risen
out of the waters, Kamsa directed the
great carnival of wrestling to be conducted.

r* srfar: ircrrerr^st^:

^3 qrfar g arep T r : i

3KH: II

The stands were decorated with garlands,
flags and buntings. Citizens, country-folk
and kings took their seats there.
Surrounded by his ministers, Kamsa sat
in the king’s stand.

KRISHNA AVATARA

331

srrojtt srs^crran* «m ^ i

The bedecked and haughty wrestlers,

Chanura, Mushtika, Kuta, Sala and Tosala,
sat (there) with their teachers.

Nanda and other cowherds occupied

one stand.

am g grcuNft [’T^nr] i

wsaris'SfirfNfa wmr sTiS^rg: ll

Then, Krishna and Rama, who had

finished their bath, heard the rumblings of the
wrestlers’ drums, and came to witness

(the tournament).

Reaching the gate of the arena, Krishna
saw stationed there the elephant Kuvalaya-
pida, set on Him by its keeper.

cTurrcmr i

g’ferri^rif'i-s.R: u

332

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

The Lord threw on the ground the
elephant that rushed (at Him). Plucking
out its tusk, Krishna struck dead the
elephant and its keepers, with it.

[5^] 11

Surrounded by a few cowherds and
armed with the excellent weapons of the
elephant’s tusks, Balarama and Krishna
entered the arena.

<rr fsnri vragflrfirt [^1] 11

Seeing those two, the invincible Krishna
and Rama, Kamsa shook terribly with fear.

% xm 1

sjr^T rr^rssfcrl %snjrr 1

wfa fsnrar grn*hr 11

Accosting Krishna and Rama, Chanura
said : “ Oh ! Krishna ! Oh 1 Rama ! being

known as esteemed amidst warriors and

KRISHNA AVATAR A

333

experts in wrestling, you have been
called (here) by the king who desires
to see (you in action). Fight with me,
Krishna, and let Balarama fight with
Mushtika.”

stcth ftrftr*fawr it

Intertwining their arms and legs, the
two pairs forcibly pulled down each other
for victory.

5rpjft srnrosj; eft: l
<rmnrrcr cnrsrr tftarsftfocru n

Seizing Chanura by his arms, Krishna
wheeled iiim round many times and

forcibly dashed him on the ground when
his life was almost gone.

crefcrrftrem *tij: i

5?fsjT5TtFTPT rT^TT II

Struck by the palm of Balarama,

Mushtika died. The remaining wrestlers

334

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

fled. The imperishable Lord, who was very
angry with Kamsa, lightly leapt and
mounted the high stand (of the king) quickly.

SrfHtcSJPT I!

Seeing Him, his death, enter (his enclosure),
the firm-minded Kamsa jumped up from
his seat and took his sword and shield.

cT CWiqifiii fNr^TJTITJ
f^TRT 5^T555rr^ I

<r*rra fewmspr ari^T^r: u

That Kamsa who was swiftly moving,
sword in hand, the Lord threw down on
the field from the high gallery ; and upon
him, fell the Lord who is master of Himself
and is the abode of the whole universe.

3 ^trcer f£rsnjr<l

When Kamsa had died, the Lord dragged
him along the ground ; and there were

tremendous shouts of 1 Hah, Hah 1 at that time.

KRISHNA AVATARA

335

umi fart Ihr ^Rrat. i

«TT^fr:n

Freeing then their mother arid father
from imprisonment, Krishna and Rama
bowed, touching their ieet with their heads.

sr^raj firarnr sprforer l i

3*1 H5R5TRT *T5! %r1 II

Devaki and Vasudeva understood their
sons who were bowing to them as the
Lords of the universe and, free from fear
embraced them.

S36

SRIMAD BH AG A VAT A

THE INSTALLATION OF
UGRASENA AS KING

s ftm srr gRg r forcl *t*rr ^sreftgcn i

< T M R 6 q’fRTOTTTR’R II

After lovingly consoling his r parents.
Lord Krishna made his maternal grand-
father, Ugrasena, the king of the
Yadus.

STI^RR R :

#TWRR5TR»

All his kith and kin, who had fled in
all directions out of their fear of Kamsa,
the Lord, who is the creator of the universe,
pleased with gifts of wealth and settled
in their own homes.

KRISHNA AVATARA

337

11

‘ 5 7TcT qq sra 5TTcT sp* IT I

srcfH m 11’

Coming to Nanda then, Lord Krishna
and Balarama embraced him and said
thus: “ Father! go to the Vraja and we
shall go there to see our kinsmen sorrow-
ing in their love for us, after looking to
the welfare of our friends (here)/'

srg^aft q’ fcws g ar^T ^ n

Told thus, Nanda embraced Krishna and
Rama and, along with the cowherds, left
for the Vraja.

22

338

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

— LIFE WITH THE TEACHER

<T5T» f^T3Tc% HP^T Ipral I

srcwrferel it

Then, receiving the sacraments and
attaining to the state of the twice-born,

Rama and Krishna, who observed the vows
well, received initiation into the meditation
of the Gayatri from Garga, the preceptor
of the Yadus.

sn sr^wrn- i

amt 3^fr& i

5W ^TF^Tf^r 5TTJT a^cTS’t^Tfer^r II

Rama and Krishna, the Lords of the

universe, omniscient and the source of
all lores, then desired to study under a

preceptor and approached Sandipani of the

line of Kasyapa, living in the city of Avanti.

[ Htj ] II

They imbibed everything on a single
utterance by the preceptor.

KRISHNA AVATAR A

339

— MESSAGE TO THE GOK'JLA
THROUGH UDDHAVA

?wre: sjj srrerr ffigd wfr: 11

There was the minister Uddhava, the
greatest of the wise and a friend of
Krishna. To him, His dearest friend, Lord
Hari, the destroyer of the suffering of
His d evotees, said :

‘ cnr srter fart*? sfifarm i

a f l tfts TT *fk*t*TTfvT ||»

lt Oh good-natured Uddhava ! go to the
Vraja and convey our love to our parents
(Nanda, Yasoda and Rohini) and, with my
message, remove the suffering of the Gopis
at My separation.”

r*r] s mV ^ r t ^s ^ i

5^5 sftrT; *fasr??r it

340

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

Thus told, Uddhava went to the Gokula
of Nanda. Nanda, who was pleased,
embraced him and worshipped him,
regarding him as Krishna Himself.

‘ ^rrfir'fr: firfoo

Nanda —

u Does Krishna remember us, the cows,
the Vrindavana and the mountain (Govar-
dhana)? Will He come (here) once to
see His kinsmen ?

1 <#Hdi * l

wf&r vrrfa^ srrs? fafos i: tor: 11

“ For us who are recapitulating the
exploits of Krishna, His sportive side-
long glances, His laughter and His speech,
Oh, all activities become slackened.

*T3Tt *JTf?T cTTTrJTdT^ll’

KRISHNA AVATARA

341

" For us who are seeing the places of
His sports, the river, the mountain and
tht forest regions adorned with His foot-
prints, our mind becomes filled with Him.”

* ht ferera JTsnrrrft srpra: i

Uddhava —

“Blessed (Nanda and Yasoda!) do not
feel pained ; you shall see Krishna by your
side. Like fire within the wood, He is
within the heart of (all) beings.

qrsfa eJTRPrn^msfa gr n

“ To Him who does not have the sense
of “my”, there is none who is (specially)
dear, and none who is (specially) inimical ;
to Him who is equanimous (towards all),
there is none who is superior, inferior or
not equal.

342

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘ wfr: i

^TnTTnnft wirmr firm mm & bmt h

“ This Lord Hari is not the son of you
two only; He is the Son, Soul, Father,
Mother and Master of all.”

OTRSU *TT5nt cTFT RTufai * ||’

The Gopis told Uddhava — -

“ You have been sent here by the Lord
for pleasing His parents. Besides His
parents, we do not see in this hamlet
anything worth remembering for Him.*’

‘ 3T^t ^ R JRctrf 55TW><JTf*raT: I

VTTT^frT JR: II

Uddhava —

“ Oh, you are the persons whose objects
are fulfilled, you are the persons worshipped
by the (whole) world, you whose mind is
thus offered to Lord Vasudeva.

KRISHNA AVATARA

343

S^t wfrRTi ?TT«^ II
f^qTJfnftrT *{*T ^ gmw 3^ I

^cTT|mST^5Tl * ll’

*‘ It is devotion for Krishna that is
sought to be achieved by gifts, austerities,
penance, oblations, the repeating of prayers,
the studying of scriptures, self-control and
other manifold paths to welfare. It is
fortunate that fyou have sought the Supreme
Being known as Krishna. Let the message
from your beloved Lord which would
bring you happiness, be heard.”

sfftriTsrR—

“ sreeftiTT t ^ fspfr i

»r^g « r m ' iw n‘ n
«ror 555ft *r arrfinpf i

*t erarT %?t: srfa^tsfgrifrsft ii

''The Lord says —

‘ If I, your beloved Lord, remain far
away from your sight, it is for drawing

344

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

your minds (to me) closer and for giving you
continuous thought of Me. In the manner
in which the mind remains absorbed when
one’s dearest is far away, the mind of
women does not remain absorbed, when
(their dearest) is near and within sight.

“ JFcqr%^i ITT: ll”

u Making your minds completely absorbed
in Me, you shall reach Me soon.”

#*uir*r srfrnrPTTs: qrartavrq, it

Then, taking leave of the Gopis, Yasoda
and Nanda, Uddhava returned lu Mathura,
protected by Krishna, and bowing to Him,
informed Him of the heights of the
devotion of the inhabitants of the Vraja.

KRISHNA AVATARA

345

vwWw^cw£ J

KRISHNA MARRV1NG RUKMINI

jttjt i

*re«r <T5 ^ rr ^ w ^ s’srr. sn^Nrr sftranuft sr?ft it

There was a great king named
Bhishmaka, the lord of the Vidarbhas. He
had five sons and one virtuous daughter
named Rukmini.

mwi&ffc mrer: ar ^51 11

Hearing of Krishna’s beauty, heroism,
excellences and affluence sung by those
who came to her house, Rukmini thought
of Him as a suitable husband.

3Tg 1

rfcft fern? 'fWJtfe? ^qW T ? qcT II

When (all) the kinsmen desired to give
his sister in marriage to Krishna, Rukmi
(her eldest brother) who hated Krishna,
Prevented them from doing so, and con-
sidered (Sisupala), the king of the Chedis
(as the proper husband).

346

SRIMAP BHAGAVATA

a ^^ T ^ici T<TT # *Mr gfrrr i
f^rr^p^ ^CUyVZir^ g rfipJrtecTl^ It

v»

Learning this, the dark-eyed Vidarbha
princess, (Rukmini), became extremely
dejected, (then) pondered (for a while),
and quickly sent to Krishna a trustworthy
Brahmin.

STt^r ST Srm$3T UcftfR: ST^%?t: I

srqr^nr 5^ ?tsjt sTgrrgr^^ 11

Reaching Dvaraka* and led in by the
door-keepers, the Brahmin saw the Prime
Being, and described to Him everything.

fa>TFT fefcn=r T3T 'TT^rt: unraw 1

r T ^ T ^ PT SPTSTTOt ^TSPJWTST STT?T^I|

The Brahmin placed at Krishna’s feet
the letter (of Rukmini) and bowed to Him.
The Lord of the universe took it up and
read it ardently.

* Dvaraka was an island in the sea, in the west
of India, which Krishna had made his headquarters,
after installing Ugrasena as king at Mathura.

KRISHNA AVATARA

347

“ SR 3 T 3011^ *J« 9 ?TT ?t

stc ssrr ^f^rJTcTTfrf^TT^m
c^q-^giTTf^fo fgrTJnnrq II

“ O ! you who are most beautiful in the
universe ! hearing of your excellences
which, entering through the ears, remove
the suffering of the body of those that
hear of them, and of your beauty that is
the realisation of all the desires of the
eyes of those who are blessed with eyes,
oh, Imperishable Lord ! my mind unabash-
edly gets possessed by you.

'TfrT 1^3* ST forte

f fas TOtavfifircPTu II

14 Which esteemed, intelligent and high-
born maiden would not, in time, choose
0 ! lion among men, Krishna ! you who are
her equal in birth, conduct, beauty,

348

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

learning, age, riches and power, and are a
charm to the minds of the (whole) world
of men ?

1 ^ ^ f ct; »rfa*wmm-

mmrsf^rar wsrcnr^ farm fafafl: i

m ^wnnrfmr^g Irsr 3 ttot

"Therefore, you have indeed been
chosen by me as my husband and my
soul has been offered to you ; make me
now your own wife. O lotus-eyed Lord !
let not Sisupala come near and touch what
is the portion of a hero, like a jackal the
offering meant for a lion.

‘ qmmfafa rmrfarmar^ fa^ri^
jjctrwfc?* gmnrc fefm irttan i
farfm thrm r fr ggwg srsrsi

" During my marriage that is to come
off to-morrow, O 1 unconquered Lord ! come
you secretly to the Vidarbhas, surrounded

KRISHNA AVATARA

349 >

by generals of armies, rout the forces of
Sisupala and Jarasandha and by forcibly
carrying me away, make me, whose price
is heroism, your wife.

“ On the day previous to the marriage,
there is a grand procession to worship the
patron goddess of the family, in which the
new bride would come out and proceed
to worship Parvati.

vmw&i ^ d tr^l I w II”

“ O lotus-eyed Lord ! if I do not obtain
your grace, I would (repeatedly) give up
my life, delicate with austerities, through
(even) a hundred births, if only I could,
obtain your grace at the end.”

350

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Hearing the message of the Vidarbha
princess, the scion of the Yadus and Sura
mounted a chariot, took the Brahmin in
it, and with swift horses, reached the
Viuarbhas from the Anartas within a
single night.

*x*nr *7 3^?^ *t?t: i

The king Bhishmaka, the Lord of
Kundina*, being submissive to his love
for his son, went about the necessary
activities with a view to giving his
daughter to Sisupala.

?WKRiTOrc5rar: 1

twwn f faM T «Trrr 5 11

Adherents of Sisupala, the Paundrakas
and others, the enemies of Krishna and
Balarama, came in their thousands, ready
prepared to secure the bride for Sisupala.

* Tha capital of tha Vidarbha*.

KRISHNA AVATARA

351

«rttr?r*rere; rnft •

^SOT W *T3 sg I

Hearing of this effort of the enemy kings,
and of Krishna having gone all alone to
carry off the bride, and fearing a battle,
Lord Balarama hastened to Kundina with
elephants, horses, chariots and footmen.

i

m % srr^T pmwr frsnnfaar: i

And the bride went from her apartments
to the temple of the Mother, guarded by
soldiers. Elderly Brahmin ladies, who
knew the procedure, made that young lady
bow to the auspicious goddess Bhavani,
the spouse of the auspicious Siva.

Sfwoft —

‘sure** rsrrsftwfcstftapJT fownri

wfj; h’

352

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Rukmini prayed to the goddess —

“ Mother ! I bow incessantly to you, the
auspicious goddess, in the company of your
children. May Lord Krishna become my
husband. May you approve of it. M

wIsraHJTsi it

Then, breaking her vow of silence with
that, Rukmini came out oi the temple
of Ambika.

sftar gg^nmraT ? i
?rr

srsrc fr^iT fir^cTT OTftgram u

The warriors who had come there became
infatuated on seeing Rukmini of swan-like
gait, walking. As that princess was mounting
her chariot, Krishna carried her off, even
as His enemies were looking on.

WTTOSrft: n

With his forces led by Rama, Krishna
slowly went out of that gathering, even as
a lion carrying off its portion would go out
of the midst of jackals.

KRISHNA AVATARA

353

*ri i

g raret f^g^rr sng: n

Greatly perturbed, all the enemies
chased Krishna, seizing their bows. (But),
with their armies killed by the Vrishnis
who were eager for victory, (those) kings
led by Jarasandha turned back and
went away.

gfairrs*. i

Conquering thus the (enemy) kings, the
Lord brought the daughter of Bhishmaka
to his city (Dvaraka), and married her in
the prescribed manner.

23

354

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

TORtgcqvi:

THE KILLING OF NARAKASURA

rr&sFGZi srpsmfenst n

Informed of the activities of (the demon)
Bhauma* by Indra whose emblem of
sovereignty, the umbrella, had been carried
away (by Bhauma), the Lord, mounting
Garuda, went to the capital city of the
Pragjyotishas along with his wife,
(Satyabhama).f

«r^rr i

yoftwro %r«r; trssg-fwn - 11

Hearing the sound of the Panchajanya
(the Lord’s conch), dreadful like the
thunder at the time of the aeon-end, the
five-headed demon, Mura, who was sleeping,
rose out of the waters.

* Narakasura, born of Mother Earth and the
Lord, when the latter in the form of the Bo&r,
lifted the former out of the ocean.

t Krishna’s Becond wife Satyabhama was the
daughter of Satrajit.

KRISHNA AVATARA

355

^ 5?rj*Tr^ %rotenr: i

?T%nif?tT^ fod ffc i

r <*s

g wi TOTO ^ g-%oi ii

With (all) his efforts made futile, Bhauma
seized his trident to kill the imperishable
Lord. Even before he could aim it, Lord
Hari took off, with His razor-edged discus,
the head of Naraka, who was mounted on
an elephant.

358

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

indifferent to wife as well as home ; we
remain full with self-realisation, and, like
the on-looking light, ourselves devoid of
any action.”

-3 C4

T&m W r ti fo£gih.gter ^PtTlTJT^ II

Having said this much to Rukmini who
was, on account of the absence of separation,
regarding herself as the dearest of the Lord,
the Lord, who desired to put an end to
her pride, became silent.

3T*TT*T 5 II

Hearing such unpleasant words, for the
first time, from her beloved husband who
was the Lord and Master of the three worlds,
Rukmini became afraid in her heart,
shuddered, wept and plunged into deep
thought.

KRISHNA AVATARA

359

a? cjrwidi^pvii: R ptpt p S irc sv n m i
wrf^swr [^rsnO

TlU^ MIMT^ $W*TcT^ SHTT *TfcP ||

Seeing that strong attachment of His
beloved, Lord Krishna, the refuge of the
good, embraced with His arm that virtuous
woman who knew none else (except her
Lord), and consoled that poor Rukmini
who deserved not those words.

ssfonrap*. —

‘ JTT JTT 5TFf c^r JTr«TrmWP I

r^gran srtjjin^T ^grreft c nr i ^ i

The Lord —

“ Rukmini, do not get angry. I know
you to be entirely devoted to Me. I did
this in sport, lady, in my desire to hear
your words and to see your face with its
lip quivering in the agitation due to
your love.

360

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

‘ f I otvtt

*r*$#r?r *r nr farer tftesrrfafa n’

“Timid and irascible lady! Indeed, this
is the greatest gain the house gives to
householders, namely, the spending of the
hours in pleasantries with the beloved. ”

firw^r: i

ftfo>S^5TT frg ?T3t5%T

*rf& sfogsitsfa sr^srrar: i

Rukmini —

“ Lotus-eyed Lord 1 Surely what you
said is true ; for I am not equal to the
Lord who is limitless vastness. Surely,
you are one who has no possession, you
beyond whom there is nothing and to
whom even those that receive offerings,

KRISHNA AVATARA

361

Brahma and others, bring their offerings I
(True), those that are blinded with the
sense of being rich, and those who gratify
their own lives only, do not reach you
who are the very end of everything. And
y®u are dearest to the gods and they
are dearest to you.

cTJ ll’

“O lotus-eyed Lord! May I have devo-
tion unto the feet of you who are revelling
in your own self. That itself would be
the greatest mercy shown to us/’

362

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

the marriage of
aniruddha and usha

arnm i

srtfarrn^ 5^: ^ ^ 11

There was Bana, the eldest of the
hundred sons of the great Bali * In olden
times, that Bana was ruling from the
beautiful city named Sonita.

sresrerf erf^R ?TT^Iscr!<TO?Jj^n i
srtoT s^rorrar jprfcrT^ii

With his thousand hands, Bana pleased
Siva by providing instrumental music for
His dance, and Siva persuaded him to
accept a boon. Bana asked Him to be the
guardian of his city.

tfBrm srraftrHT »

w&nsmm srFresseta m 11

* Sam© as the Asura king figuring in the story of
the Vamana Avatara. See above.

KRISHNA AVATARA

36 $

Bana’s daughter, a maiden, Usha by
name, had in a dream enjoyment with a
lover (Aniruddha), the son of Kama, whom
she had neither seen nor heard of before.

srransr <iwmfera r I

'O

Identifying that lover as Aniruddha, the
son of Kama, Chitralekha, (Usha’s maid),
resorted to her Yogic powers, brought
Aniruddha to Sonitapura and showed the
lover to her friend.

31^: 5TS^ cTOT |

5TT?HtJTT^^ 55^, It

Remaining concealed in the maiden’s
apartments, Aniruddha knew not the days
passing, in the company of Usha, whose
love had greatly increased. (But) Bana
found out the scion of the Yadus.*

* Aniruddha was the son of Pradyumna or Kama
ir ho was the son of Krishna and Rukmini.

364

SKIMAD BHAGAVATA

it jmrrrfr4f^T^n ^

frfait spro 5 1

^rr w[t gr fc rferer^feiresT

The strong Bana, who was infuriated,
bound with Nagapasa * Aniruddha who
had killed Bana’s forces. Hearing that
Aniruddha had been bound, Usha became
stricken with extreme sorrow and
dejection, and wept with tears in her eyes.

^RTT sfTJT I

5TJT?rrr^ OTiTOfar* II

Hearing, from Narada, of the action of
Aniruddha and the news of his capture
the Sattvatta chiefs laid siege to the city
of Bara.

33^ g mf rm w tt 11

The terrible Lord, Siva, fought against
Balarama and Krishna, for the sake of Bana.

igdtfjPTT I

vtjtptr «rrg*r m twtih 11

* The divine serpent-missile which binds persons.

KRISHNA AVATARA

365

Mounting his chariot, Bana proceeded to
ftght Krishna. With His razor-edged discus,
the L©rd chopped off, like the branches of
a tree, the arms of Bana, who was hurling
missiles incessantly.

‘ srd ^rt * grwt i»

*f?r ssswrsvrar i

srm#i wrrd’ar R g <r w q H n

“ I gave the boon to Prahlada that his
descendants were not to be killed by Me.*'
Thus obtaining security (from Lord Krishna),
the demon, Bana, bowed to Krishna with
his head, and brought to Him mounted in
a chariot, Aniruddha together with the
bride (Usha).

*TTcsft^ sptI ^T^rf^cT: ||

Placing in front Aniruddha with his wife,
decked and dressed in beautiful garments,
and surrounded by an Akshauhini of forces,
Krishna went (to Dvaraka), with the approval
of Siva.

366

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

fWJnrrrt^sKTj^

Krishna’s household 1 'life
o

src^r ererrsTi ^ mfaarrn i

5r^TT II

Hearing that Naraka had been killed and
that Krishna, a single individual, had
married numerous women, the divine sage
(Narada) came to see Him.

SlYt: <Tc5ft?TT VHR JRrT II

Narada entered one of the huge mansions
of the wives of Krishna.

tot q^crr i

^rss^rm sprrfofa 11

Krishna worshipped Narada with great
love, by rising from His seat, by offering
him a seat and by showing him similar
honours, and asked him, as if He knew
nothing, when he arrived.

g fwf^TcT script qpiftiw^irigCH 1

KRISHNA AVATARA

367

Wondering, Narada rose and silently
went to another apartment and there also
he saw Krishna, fondling His children.

q/irsr gnrfasnfvu i

<T*Jf ^ sr%fir: I

JTs’snrer =ar ^Rjrfkr^f^nr&i srrf^fa : I
«Tfa sm ^^RFm^rnrl ^ i

wiFTRformmR 3^^ srs^: >'

Then Naiada saw Him in another
apartment getting ready for ablution ; in
another, worshipping Sandhya and in
silence, repeating the Gayatri ; in one place,
executing the sword-movements with sword
and shield ; lying on the bed and being
extolled by minstrels somewhere, and
holding consultations in some other place
with Uddhava and other ministers ; attending
to Dharma in one place, to Artha and
Kama in another, and in still another,

368

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

contemplating the one self, the Supreme
Spirit that is beyond MatteT.

‘ qliUTHTT^ - Ml

tft^s^TrJTftnrf?Tr n’

Narada then said smiling to the Lord
of our faculties: “O Lord of Yoga I as a
result of the worship of your feet, we are
able to see these mystic manifestations of
yours, appearing on the substratum (of
yourself), though these are hard to be
perceived by those who are under the
subjection of Illusion.”

iftannrFt—

‘ asp* qwsi i

The Lord —

“ O, you who have realised the soul ! I
am the expounder of Dharma, its founder,
and the person who commends it. And
inculcating it, I am living in this world ;
be not distracted, my son.”

KRISHNA AVATARA

369

5Kt ^ufinr : — the killing of jarasanpha
o

JTTT^:—

‘ ^nr^?r 'qrpr^w; i

*nr^5«n»nTt ^rfcr: n’

Narada —

“King Yuddhishthira, * desirous of
sovereignty, proposes to worship you with
the Rajasuya, the greatest of the sacrifices.
May you approve of it.”

<M*!4 Tf ^ r 3 . ST*TPJTPT y W WT -^ct^^d : •

iftsrt i

J II

Lord Krishna then issued orders for the
journey (to Yudhishthira’s city). Hearing
that the Lord, hard to be seen by men,
had arrived, Yudhishthira, who was pleased,

♦ Yudhishthira, son of Pandu and Kunti, was
Krishna’s aunt's son. Yoi the full aeoount of the
part Krishna played in the life and fortunes
of the Pandavas, see the Mahabharata, (Q. A.
Natesan & Co., G. T. Madras.)

370

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

went out (to receive Him) along with his
preceptor and his friends.

sjt : 3*5 11

•s

Yudhishthira then embraced, again and
again, (their) most beloved (friend) (Krishna),
seen after a long time.

3 *rr g&4 fHm

TfrtfVtrsjrR; 11

Smiling and with his senses in a flurry
as a result of the force of his affection,
Bhima embraced his uncle’s son (Krishna)
and felt beatified ; and the twins as well
as Arjuna, with tears of joy swelling,
joyously clasped their dearest friend,
the imperishable Lord.

■re gcfe&rar* 3^ 1

KRISHNA AVATARA

371

Thus, the Lord entered the decora+ed
city along with His friends. Received by
the people with great zeal. He entered the
palace.

Seeing her nephew, Kunti rose up and
embraced Him.

‘ ’cnr^isr qr^rt: i

fe^T^ferTSrTcSrqT^ ^r: SHTt ||’

Yudhishthira —

“ W ith the Rajasuya, the greatest of
sacrifices, I propose, Krishna, to worship the
sanctifying manifestations of yours.
Lord, help us to perform it.”

‘ *n*i»s*nrfsr?T vrctt snrs&r i

fafaw «r H S IH>d»r »’

The Lord —

41 O king who roujs his enemies ! well
have you resolved. Vanquishing all kings,
perform the great sacrifice.”

372

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

Hearing the words of the Lord, Yudhish-
thira, with joyous face, set his brothers,
made greater by the power of Lord
Vishnu, to the task of conquering (all)
the quarters.

^ fefar* 3 TT3T g£ feqT [^f] II

Conquering the kings, the heroic (brothers)
brought wealth.

[rnrr] v<r> i

Bhima, Arjuna and Krishna,— these three,
disguising themselves as Brahmins went to
Girivraja,* the place where Jarasandha, the
son of Brihadratha, was.

^ *Tr3T ^nr«rr i

‘ nsR: % *rac*i ^nr^m%’ii

3

* Girivraja or Rajagriha, in the Magadhas, wu
Jarasandha" 8 capital.

KRISHNA AVATARA

373

Approaching Jarasandha, the Kshatriyas,
who were in Brahmin guise, begged of
him : “ King, welfare unto you ; give us

what we desire.”

‘ % fern ffracrr ^rnn gr: 11’

Jarasandha —

<4 Brahmins ! ask what you desire ; I will
give you even my head.’'

‘ srT c <TT i

l^t^s 'roferer wratssbri i

nr f^r sn^ftfs ^ Rjtf n’

The Lord —

" We are Kshatriyas who have come
here seeking fight (with you), not expecting
food. This is Bhima. this is his brother
Arjuna, and know me as their uncle’s son,
Krishna, your enemy.’-

374

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

qspiT^en rrm^; i

3TT5 ^Trrf^TT ‘ 3^ ar? ^rfir *: i

st ?^rr tftenrr ?r tf smu

snfcit * vt%?tt^t, *foregs*r*35T jft ’ n

Thus informed, the king of the Magadhas
laughed aloud, and said in anger : “Fools!
I will then offer you battle. (Krishna !),
I will not fight with you, a coward ;
neither my superior in strength nor my
equal, Arjuna cannot fight me ; Bhima is
equal to me in strength.”

frjrp vftlT&JTFT SP^FT JTSTcff TT^T^ I

far?ftar *tpnm[Fr fa" 5 FrnT it

Havipg spoken thus, Jarasandha gave
Bhima a big mace, himself took another,
and went out of the city.

[3*] u

The fight between the two of unabated*
force went on with victory for neither.

fear* TTsshrraTFFTg. fftj l
i^wnmr fsreti <TT£*rfroi *ry«?r 11

KRISHNA AVATARA

375

Lord Hari of unfailing insight, who knew
how the enemy (Jarasandha) was born and
how he would die,* infused Bhiraa with
His own power, thought of the way to
kill the enemy and showed to Bhima,
by gesture, the tearing atwain of a branch.

rrfacsrPT inrorm n^rr ^ i

q^rSIT 'TP^TT: 5T<| ’TlrnTHTW II

Understanding that, Bhima of great
strength, the foremost ot those who knew
how to strike, caught the enemy by the
feet, and threw him down on the ground.

<TT£*rorr*T srrwftn* ircnnr: 11

Pressing one leg (of Jarasandha) with his
foot, and snatching (Jarasandha’s) other leg
with his arms, (Bhima) tore (Jarasandha)
atwain, even as a great elephant might
tear the bough of a tree.

• Jarasandha was born as two pieces which were
miraculously welded together and he would dia
only when he was torn into two pieces.

376

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

t r cra> r fl M g HUrO fcrgfr i

srg^r ci^Rq- w^T«icr*ngp5T: i

Jm«TT5TT 'TfcT Sig; I
-•‘t^MTwRr scm^lT- ^g^t*JT*T^sr $ H

When the king of the Magadhas had
been killed, there were huge shouts ot
‘Ha! Ha!’. The inscrutable Lord,
the benefactor of all beings, anointed
Sahadeva, the son of Jarasandha, as the
king of the Magadhas, and released (all)
the kings who had been imprisoned
by Jarasandha.

KRISHNA AVATARA

377

.tJtjjETSEif: THE KILLING OF S1SUPALA

O

*Tarr WTu-yyvi sir h sr^st: i

ffww *m rg dP sn&n i

’crsrera- qT ^ trer I n

Hearing of the killing of Jarasandha, king
(Yudhishthira) invited the priests (for the
sacrifice). All the kings and queens who
were invited came (to attend) the Rajasuya
(sacrifice) of king Yudhishthira.

3 re r5 w g*rgFT5i gr« re >r fererefcp ti

Priests, lustrous like the gods, made the
sovereign (Yudhishthira) perform the sacrifice.

§rf i

^ srrsrssm sptp h

On the day of the offering of the Soma
juice, the king ascertained the intention of
those in the assemhly and offered worship
to Lord Krishna. All the people folded
their hands in respeat.

378

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘jfT'TT^: $«rafeiw I
fjoiftsTi *mr ^ur^fgr ’ i
srmq JTwifsy: u

“ A cowherd and a blot on his family,
one living a reckless life and bereft of alt
good qualities, how does Krishna deserve
honour ? ” These and similar unhappy words,
did the irate Sisupala, son of Damaghosha,
utter, his good fortune coming to an end.

[vnr?r] n

Then the Cliedi king (Sisupala) calmly
seized his sword and armout, condemning
the kings in the assembly who had taken
the side of Krishna.

srfurmcrt fart: n

Rising up in the meantime, the Lord 1
drew aside His friends, and in His anger,
severed with His razor-edged discus, the
head of the enemy (Sisupala) who rushed
at Him.

KRISHNA AVATARA

379 *

smfo: tiigVrgvri{£iv<i 1

sr? Jro?it^5fnTrT|*:^RqT f^r^rr i
«rni^T?rncTT srnn wrHi fc srefrirarqji

The effulgence that arose out of the body
of the king ol the Chedis became one
with Lord Vasudeva. Thinking intensely
(of the Lord) with a mind overwhelmed by
the accumulated enmity of three births, he
attained the form of the Lord. For, indeed,
mental absorption (in a thing) makes one
take its form.*

site gR r i

CRT ^ K^gT H RpfTfc^gOTTirl: II

Similarly, the Lord killed the Saubha
king Salva, Dantavaktra * with his younger
brother, and other insufferable kings, and
was extolled by the gods and men.

See the story fc>f Java and Vijaya above.

•380

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

— THE STORY OF KUCHELA
:o:

grrgr uft s rsifewr : i
^ETTr^g u^d T ru r r^ntf^r: i
^jTTrft ^crcnft 11

There was a (riend of Krishna, a
Brahmin, foremost of those who have
realised the Brahman, unattracted to objects
of pleasure, of tranquil mind and subdued
senses, a householder who was living by
what came unsought.

fr&f srnrf * rmrf^rr i

^fetzrcrr 'rfrT srrs T^rrarr srr n

The devoted wife of that Kuchela, wh©
was emaciated with hunger, but was of the
same nature (as her husband), told her
husband with a withered face :

‘5T3 <TfcP I

rrgtrfe irsmnT <m*nro* i

KRISHNA AVATARA

381

tl O Brahmin ! is not the Lord of the
Goddess of Fortune Himself a friend
of your adored self ? 0 you who are

blessed 1 approach Him, the refuge of the
good. He will give ample wealth to you
who are perishing with a large family.”

SET QST TTT&TT farm snf&ft *2* : I

‘ sri 'TOn 55TTT ’I

*far mrerr »t*rft tt^t ^ 11

Thus entreated many times, softly,
by his wife, the Brahmin thought: “This
indeed is the greatest gain, the seeing of
the Lord of purest fame.” And he decided
to go (to the Lord).

mform grjd i

msrr *r srari fe* i

Cf

*r®r ^ a

Begging of (the neighbouring) Brahmins
four handfuls of Prithuka (fried and
flattened rice), and tying them in a piece
of cloth, KuchelaJ proceeded to Dwaraka,
thinking : “ How can I have the sight of
Krishna ? ”

382

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

gs fa^trsTcnr irat qtrr n

Kuchela entered one of the mansions of
Krishna feeling like one who had attained
beatitude.

q^rf

<TT0 ^HlrWiT^II

The imperishable Lord saw Kuchela,
approached and embraced him with joy.
Seating him then on a cot, the Lord
Himself fetched things for the worship of
the friend, washed his feet and spoke words
of welcome.

$TTJT fk^ I

<ffcsrc?taft qrrrcaiarta 1 11

Queen Rukmini attended with the chowrie
upon that untidy, emaciated Brahmin,
Kuchela, who had a body only of veins
and nerves.

\

qr$nrr^*Erj4ifern gqi srat; i
aTTrJMt<£fedT [^rsrg] g?iqT?'rcgn

KRISHNA AVATARA

383

Clasping each other s hands, Krishna and
Kuchela talked their own beautiful old
stories (of the days) when they were in
the teachers house together.

stoTTOTS*—

‘ srpn wn i

The Lord —

“ In household life, your mind is
not lost in material desires. O man of
wisdom ! I know you are not over-fond
of riches.

stwtt ^ i
5T *T crm?T |l

“ O Brahmin ! What offering have you
brought for me from your house ? Even the
little that is offered by the devoted will
oecome ample because of the love ; and
even the ample that is offered by the
unloving does not isuffice to satisfy Me.

‘ ^ g*q- q=r^ m ^ i

<T^?T snTcTTr»T5TS ll’

384

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

“ A leaf, a flower, a fruit, or some
water, — if one gives me any of these in
devotion, I enjoy that offering of devotion
from one of pure soul.”

^^srgfrr ?T »

Though he was told in this manner, the
Brahmin, ashamed and with a down-cast
face, did not give the handful of Prithuka
to Krishna who was the Lord of the goddess
of wealth.

Hr q rrq rew »*W4> rcm h, i
fcvrarfav'werra sfterrm «r 11

<TcPTT: TT^TFTrsg ^T^TT l

srr^cTt jttjtfi ^Tprrfir ^tT^OT cfe r & irii

Understanding the cause of Kuchela’s visit,
the Lord, who is the witness of the souls of
all beings, thought : “ This Kuchela never

worshipped me in the past, desiring wealth.
It is to please his devoted wife that my
friend has come now ; I will give him
riches hard to be c btained even by
the gods.”

KRISHNA AVATARA

385

fa s ww l

TO 5T5TC fa fir q f Mft %g<t>«<iI3 S K II

Thinking thus, the Lord Himself snatched
from the Brahmin’s garment the Prithuka
tied in a rag, asking him : “ What is this ?’*

‘ if re gsft q R i

frH-^rw m »’

“Friend, you have brought me this, which
pleases me most. These grains of Prithuka
will indeed satisfy me who am of the form
of the Universe.”

sft gft sr$*nrcsiT facfori arngirr.^ i

5*ST TORT qT^fER: I

‘ «c?ttots* 5 fsparrro u

Saying this, the Lord ate one handful,
and took a second handful to eat.
Ere He ate, goddess Lakshmi (Rukmini)
caught in haste the hand of the Lord
saying : “ This (oae handful) suffices, O

Lord who is of the| form of the universe 1
to fill one with all »the riches/’

25

386

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

srrgprrerT g i

fsnsssrfor **T*r&?TTfasrf^rT: t
3mr*r [ara] q-^gg^ ?r%?r: n

The Brahmin lived that night in the
mansion of the imperishable Lord and the
next morning, saluted by the Lord, the
bestower of prosperity to the universe, and
accompanied by Him for some distance,
went home, pleased.

STH ijrWTrsr 9 |

Not receiving any riches from Krishna,
Kuchela did not ask for them himself. He
went home ashamed, but happy at having
seen the great Lord.

1 3>T5 gfcc trnftar* w, i

wrs sngwr qfafaTcn n

snsRtsq 1

^r«CT^fop?ft ^ JTT^ri’

trf^^rprsrfrr; irrsat \

KRISHNA AVATARA

387

5JT7 ^uoT^suri II

ti

4i Where am I, a pauper and a sinner

and where is Krishna, the abode of the

Goddess of Fortune ? He embraced me
with his arms because I was born a

Brahmin. The worship of His feet is the
source of all attainments. The merciful

Lord, I am sure, did not give me ample
wealth, thinking that, obtaining wealth, this
poor self of mine might get intoxicated and
forget Him.” Thus thinking within himself,
Kuchela approached the vicinity of his
home, which was (now) surrounded on all
sides by storied mansions bright like the
sun, fire and moon, and wonderful parks
and gardens full of bevies of warbling
birds, and inhabited by beautifully decked
men and fawn-eyed women.

dfr r fa gra a JTTvtsiromr: i

388

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

“ What is this ? Whose abode is this f
How did this come to be ? ” As he was
thus thinking, god-like men and women
received that blessed Kuchela with
tumultuous music.

s3

Hearing that her husband had come, the
wife (of Kuchela), with exhilaration and
in a flurry, closed her eyes, bowed to
him with her mind, and embraced him
with her heart,

. sftar: h*tt ig&i srfgret I

Being pleased, Kuchela, along with his
wife, entered his abode, having hundreds
of jewelled pillars and looking like great
Indra’s abode.

Hfll Rl *4^

qyqro u*

KRISHNA AVATARA

389

“ For this prosperity coming to me,
unfortunate and eternally poor, surely
there can he no other cause than my
seeing the best of the Yadus, the Lord
who is the great boundless.”

Making up his mind thus and becoming
an (ever more) intense devotee of the
Lord, Kuchela, with his wife, enjoyed (all)
pleasures, not hankering too much after
them but with a view to (gradually)
renounce them.

o

390

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

ADVICE TO UDDHAVA

: o :

srfes arsrsn*. it

Having killed the demons, with (the aid
of) Balarama and the Yadus, Krishna
relieved Earth of her burden by creating
the mutual quarrel which would quicken
destruction.

*T qrffcai 1 : 3*5 9I«^?TT5 STTc^:

Taking as ostensible cause the sons of
Pandu, who were provoked in the extreme
by their enemies’ deceitful gambling,
mocking, seizure of their queen by the
hair and the rest, Krishna made the kings
who had assembled (o 1 the battle-field)
kill each other, and (thus) removed
Earth's burden.

KRISHNA AVATARA

391

smrfinpi

3pcq«rn??r

H

Then, Brahma, along with Siva and the
gods, extolled Lord Hari and saluting Him,
addressed Him from the skies :

‘ jtt fsrarrfa*: snrr i

“ Lord, we once petitioned you to
remove Earth's burden and you, the soul
of everything, have done accordingly.

‘ srfrsa Rirftr^rr^ I csrarr i

?TrT^^mnr %5T^r q-f^ JTPT^ ||’

“ And you have also (firmly) established
Dharma among the good and the truthful.
Hence, if you think so, enter your owa
supreme effulgence/’

sftwsrr*—

‘ ^ «r. srmirfe® i

&\w> wsruta: i

392

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

q tUHgfq - CHRT «Tf*TT I

4i*dre*g $frr ^ts?rgar^*T h’

The Lord —

44 Your work has been done ; Earth's
burden has been removed. (But) this race
of the Yadavas, haughty with an excess of
heroism and valour, desires to engulf the
world but is held in restraint by Me, as
the great ocean by the shore. If I go
away without ending this vast race of
haughty Yadus, this world will perish at
the hands of this race which would
transgress (all) bounds.”

WSJTJTTg N

Then, noticing grave evil portents
appearing in Dvaraka, the Lord told the
Yadu elders, who had gathered :

s ram »*

44 Elders ! if we desiro life, we must not
live here ; we shall go away to the sacred
Prabhasa forthwith ; tarry not."

KRISHNA AVATARA

393

[^hr;] ft?* i

fefe x E 3nT?mft»^Mr^ i

*rnw few <tr 1 sn-ssTfsnsnrcTroT 11

Thus commanded by the Lord, (the
Yadavas) made ready their chariots.
Seeing them get ready, Uddhava, ever
devoted to Krishna, approached the over-
lord of the universe in solitude, bowed
with his head at his feet, and said to Him
with folded hands :

STfWSFKt vrr: I

‘ JTTf rRT^ffsr^JTpr ^nmTJTf'T I

t*prk srgc*r% jtpj ^rm 5T*r Jmrfa n’

“ After bringing to an end this race,
surely you will leave this world altogether.
My Lord, I cannot leave off your lotus-
feet even for a fraction of a second ; take
me also to your place.”

394

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘ *T*TT 5T3T ^jsFTsra$tg?r: i

^3^: ^rHTfifq-rrr gtf g- «

The Lord —

“ The work of the gods on this earth
has been completed by Me. And this
city, the sea will flood on the seventh day
(from now).

‘ sfart srfoaTsfir fo cr ga : i

*T JTSTT g^TcT& II

«r 3 gftarsg ^g5r?rer?^j i

gg; STgSqfggTSST II

Soon, the world will be rendered evil
by Kali. You must not live in the world
abandoned by Me. Casting off all your
attachment for your kith and kin, and
fastening your mind well on Me, wander

about the earth, with an equanimous mind.

f

t

^TrJTjfT^q' fe ad grerre g*arcftwft 11

KRISHNA AVATARA

395

“With your senses and mind in
concentration, see the universe as projected
out of your own soul and your soul as.
projected out ot Myself, the Overlord.

sJnS^t: —

‘ snrr 11’

Uddhava —

“ O Lord of highest fame ! of what
nature is the good man according to you

«rhmwr^—

^ceT^nTt^JTsraTrJTT *TJT: I

amr*ft JTR3[5 *¥5<T: ^3T: ^refor^: T

‘ smfiWPTS* ITT *T3te ST STtPT: II

The Lord —

“Unable to hear another's suffering,
unharmful and forbearing towards all
beings ; one whose strength is Truth, who
is irreproachable, # equanimous, helpful

396

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

to all ; of mind unspoilt by desires, self-
possessed, mild, pure, owning nothing ; not
expecting honour from others, ready to
honour all, efficient, the very embodiment
of friendliness and impelled to act by
compassion alone ; one of noble vision
and one who, transcending all Dharmas,
worships Me, he is indeed the greatest man.

sreFTTSSWT for:

*rf%: s^tTct Jrfogr mrsRPrfa srwrergt n

spsRfr f^rT

ssrfcr i

forar ssrrofcr *

“ Only by devotion and faith can I, who
am the Soul and thus the beloved, be
grasped by the good. Devotion firmly
established towards Me sanctifies even a
born Chandala. He whose voice falters,
wh3se heart melts, who sheds tears often

KRISHNA AVATARA

397

and laughs sometimes, and without any
shame sings aloud and dances — he, My
devotee, purifies the (whole) universe.

snrffa n

“Uddhava,I am the soul, the friend and
the master of all these beings ; I am all
beings; I am their birth, existence
and death.

I

viMl m n rfa sfriw sftrrnmnrffbffcr; i

fcrf^rrsfor fsrfcRjnrr i

^»T%5T JOT I

*r mn ft f^ftJTT wrtfenr: n

“ Of worships, I am the worship of the
knowledge of the Brahman. Of vows, I am
the vow of non-injury. Among Dharmas,
I am the giving of security to all. Among
varieties of safety, * I am inwardness of
mind. I am the patience of the patient
and the goodness of the good. I can in

398

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

time count the atoms but not the glorious
manifestations of Myself who am creating
worlds by crores.

‘ sft: afftf^scnr ^r*rr*n=srWr *r*n I

<#t?r fcrfagrr f^T?r sr ii

“Effulgence, Beauty, Fame, Lordship,
the sense of Shame in doing wrong,
Sacrifice, Auspiciousness, Fortune, Heroism,
Forbearance, Wisdom, — whatever possesses
these is a manifestation of Myself.

^ srofazr *rNWr*»: n

“ Non-injury, Truthfulness, Non-thieving,
absence of Passion, Anger and Avarice,
striving to do what is pleasing and beneficial
to beings — these are Dharmas common to
all castes.

c

4 (itaroft gtwyrrf S Wtfefawn i
srfoaj

KRISHNA AVATARA

399

“ Desirous of doing good to humanity,
I have expounded three yogas : Knowledge,
Action and Devotion ; there is no other
path anywhere.

‘ fr N P TOTrei srmm: i

J=rrf?rcran n

“ The path of Knowledge is for those
who have cultivated indifference to material
objects; the path of Action is for those
who have still Desire; for him who is not
yet thoroughly indifferent but is not also
too much attached, the path of Devotion
bears fruit.

‘ drranrfftr * fafsrcrer i
iTr3Rtiir«r^nTsfl srr srspr srro* li

“ One should be performing Acts only
so long as he has not attained Indifference,
or only so long as* Faith in listening to
My story and similar acts of devotion has
not been produced.*

400

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘ gfei I

ST* ft g wiuilfa JT^frh m II

“ Remaining in the midst of this world,
one who abides by his Dharma, commits
no sin and is pure, easily attains pure
wisdom or devotion to Me.

‘ <rt n

“ Non-expectation of anything is said to
be the greatest and amplest bliss.

‘ *T CC?ITfJrc^5£fl fef^T I

srTnT^^Hsnfcr * 11

“ Those who leave these paths of
Devotion, Knowledge and Action leading to
Me, and enjoy mean pleasures with their
fickle lives, migrate from birth to birth.

V^tf 1 ftsrrssj* **nr« wmn i

ir^t ^rat <aj«5rrf* =* i

q^- qr g gr ^ T Fw f *mr aorrn n

“ Theft, Injury, Falsehood, Hypocrisy,
Desire, Anger, Conceit, Infatuation, Making
distinctions. Enmity, Distrust, Rivalry,
Addiction to the three vices of woman,
wine and gambling — theue fifteen evils of men
are considered as having' their root in wealth.

KRISHNA AVATARA

401

* rg«n: i

trwfk Tsnrfk r n

“Mistaking as ‘Mine and I* this body
which is but a product of the mind,
blinded men say in their illusion ‘ This is
myself, this is another and wander in
the limitless dark.

fir^NTTriT^ <n?r=r g n

“ Realising the universe as one, both m
Matter and Spirit, one should neither
praise nor condemn the character and
actions of others.

‘ s re fa reffor BFnrffnT *r^r i

wriwuwte fi t r: n

“ With his mind offered to Me, with
his mind and soul revelling in Dharmas
leading to Me, one, should do all acts for
My sake, calmly and with My thought.

*6

402

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

f #3 Tc fffa 'aTrJTTH ^JTJT55RFi: II

“ With a pure mind, one should see Me,
who am uncovered by anything, as established
within and without all beings, as the
supreme spirit in his own self, like the
(all-pervading) ether.

4 cfer srmfar irfr^ i

“ Thus, O resplendent Uddhava, taking
his stand on pure knowledge, he should
consider all beings as Myself and honour
them.

sTsrt 4hr *rar: ii

<f He is the learned man who realises
the same Me in the Brahmin as well as
the Chandala, in the thief as well as the
person who is versed in the Vedas, in the
sun as well as in a spark, in the good as
well as in the cruel.

KRISHNA AVA'ARA

403

“ From the person who incessantly
contemplates the Me in all men, quickly
do rivalry, jealousy, contempt and egotism
flee

“ Laying aside his pride, prestige and
shame, and also the sense of the physical
differences, one should prostrate himself on
the ground, like a stick, before all beings
down to the dog, the Chandala, the bull
and the ass.

‘ <rsnr ^

*Tr*r3nr^t5tf ITr^^Ttfd JTTS^cnr tl

“ This is the knowledge of the knowing
and the wisdom o( the wise that, with the
unreal and mortal f (body), man attains to
Me, the Real and* the Immortal.

404

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

‘ gfafgi r PT i

<ftm ^Trr^cr TRT»5f jrrgf5T«a% n”

'* Having known this, the inquirer has
nothing more left to know. To him who
has drunk ot ambrosia, there is nothing
else remaining to be drunk.”

fftHSi ffe: SITf i

fasrrfegt m^Tg r ? ^ rs:

?ttt % f^rrsm: srfto 11

Having been shown thus the path to
union with God, Uddhava folded his hands
in respect and told the great hero of the
Yadus : u (All) the darkness of my
delusion has been driven away ; indeed,
the light of Knowledge has been given
to me.”

—

‘ JT^TSif^T «r^rfar

^f*R5TT3»rn?*H. i

4juii^0u4«n$ft^ ^«r: ii

KRISHNA AVATARA

405

The Lord —

Uddhava, go you on my command to
Mine own hermitage named Badari. There
contemplate in solitude what you have been
taught. And with your speech and mind
completely absorbed in Me, you shall
reach Me.”

*Tcrt i

?rr: *TJTrwsr 11

Then, establishing the Lord within his
heart, the great devotee of the Lord
(Uddhava) went to Badari and, performing
penance, attained to the state of
Lord Hari as taught to him by (Himself),
the one Friend of the universe.

406

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

v pn r ftp r f q rqt ; — the passage ok the lord*

fcfa g- g &> <rr aM3gfo i M r g . i

rer gi gjrr*;u4 i

^f?r smra sro$ r*i: 11

Seeing ominous portents appearing in
the heavens, skies and on earth, and
hearing what Krishna told them, all the
Yadu elders acquiesced, crossed the sea
on boats and reached Prabhasa on their
chariots

g-crecTforwsninT 73^^ *$ 1

^^T«rf5TcTf^r: H

Then, at Prabhasa, the Yadavas who
lost their senses through Fate, drank the
powerful drink, the liquor called Maiieyaka,
whereby one’s senses are lost.

iT 5 T'TPTrfaJTwr*r 1

33$: ^nrrffrgrn-fasr 11

♦See the Mausalaparva, pp. 434-444, Th$
Mahabharata. G. A. Nateaan & Co., Madras.

KRISHNA AVATARA

407

A great quarrel arose among them who
were intoxicated with excessive drink.
Desiring to kill each other, the infuriated
Yadavas fought on the sea-shoie.

gsnr

farsrrftT fart:

J£St: n

Sons fought with lathers, brothers, nephews,
grandsons, and uncles ; friends fought friends,
and besotted, kinsmen killed kinsmen.

i

sfnrarfcm gm *rn: ffar ^itsq^tfaar: 11

When all His clans had thus perished,
the Lord, who remained, thought that
Earth’s burden had been removed.

*nr; i

rTrSTH *5t% HT&k ^TT3’TR*nmrrITfa II

On the sea-shore, Rama sat in Yogic
contemplation of the Supreme Being, united

His soul with the. universal soul, and left
the mortal world.

408

SR1MAD BHAGAVATA

fi W MK VRTT^d ^soff V|T«jfsr5T^rFH. II

Seeing the passage of Balarama, the
Lord who incarnated Himself as the son
of Devaki, sat in silence on the ground
and entered His own abode.

tTj: ^g^inrsna i
^rrq- wf srfanSft: £ ^3: 11

Drums rumbled in the heavens and
from the skies, flowers fell. Truth,
Righteousness, Self-possession, Fame and
Fortune went away from Earth along
with Him.

THUS ENDS THE STORY OF THE
INCARNATION AS KRISHNA.

II II

THE STORY OF THE INCARNATION AS KaLKI

srif *2 ^rrq; i
<rrer*3*r^: vi$ ’tTsrsg i

^?3<Tl*pfi-*TRHTlfag I Ti I
wrss! ncranl 3 ^rfirfnr 1
tpHnornr s nrarrerafo gfe 11

When the Dharma ot those that observe
the Varna and Asrama is lost, when the
Vedic path of men has disappeared, when
Dharma has become predominantly heretic,
when rulers have become more or less
thieves, when men are living through the
various means of theft, falsehood and wanton
violence to others, when the Kali* age
has thus well-advanced towards the end,
when man is essentially violent in nature,
the Lord will incarnate Himself with His
goodness, purity and knowledge, for saving
Dharma.

# The fourth of aeons, 1 Krita, Treta, Dvapara and
Kali; with the fourth ends one cycle.

410

SKIMAD bhagavata

g i S TPTP T *T5Tc*PTS I

srr^f^ift ti

The Lord will manifest Himself as Kalki
in the house of Vishnuyasas, a high-souled
Brahmin, chief of those in the village of
Sambhala.

srssnrrgTTJTTW i

srtfcm Etefowrfa it

Riding a fleet steed, Devadatta, the
Lord of the Universe will slay by crores
the thieves in the guise of rulers.

f^T rT?T II

When Hari, the Lord of Dharma,
incarnates Himself as Kalki, there will be
the Krita age and men will be bom with
goodness, purity and knowledge.

n it

THUS ENDS THE STOKV OF THE
INCARNATION AS kalki.

it ii

the salvation of pakikshit

:o —

‘ *rsrcc ofr jt?ii sftrrrr i

*j*t1 to %%m fas** tt?tt: w

“ King Parikshit ! I have spoken of
these, kings as well as others, who took
Earth as their own, but who left Her
and died.

‘C^TSSrJTfjT ifa :j<TR f ?rfa

“3T5t wr fafsnftofar jjrt; ^t^r^rr ^rr: 11

*’ Seeing kings feverishly busy to conquer
Her, this Earth laughs : ‘ Alas ! (these)

kings, [)laythings of Death, desire to
conquer Me !

‘ What is this conquest of territory
before the conquest of spirit ? Deliverance
is tne fruit of the conquest ol spirit.’

ftpnnoh ’T’cr ^rfa^ 11

412

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

“ Therefore, 0 king, fix Hari in your
heart by every means. With your mind in
concentration, you who are about to die,
shall thereby attain to the supreme goal.

4 m g arfe i

vmssmzr zmnTR&rnFTT ^tt i
•to ^ often *rgr g?n n

“ King, cast away the thought that you
are about to die, a thought which only
the being that has not risen above its
body can have. Even as when a pot is
broken, the ether that was within it becomes
the (common) ether without as before, so
also when the body dies, the individual
spirit becomes the universal spirit.

‘ m srr*r asrt i qrir i

f^rnr^r: i

* ^ faff ff 7«nTTr»R: !»’

THE SALVATION OF PARIKSHIT 41?

“ * I am the supreme spirit, the supreme
effulgence ; the Brahman is myself ;
I am the supreme goal.’ With this know-
ledge and with vour spirit placed on the
unconditioned spirit, you will not perceive
Takshaka biting your foot or licking it
with poisonous tongues, or this body or
this universe, as separate from your spirit."

Kmr—

srrfem it ^ T^ ? rr ^va«il n

King Parikshit —

“ I have realised my object ; I have
been graced by your merciful self by
making me hear of Hari Himself, the
Lord without beginning or end.

JTfTCt rmx ti

“ Lord, I am not afraid of death from
Tal shaka or others. I have entered the
Bliss which is the* Brahman. You have
shown me that thin^ on realising which
fear ceases to exist.

414

SRIMAD BHAGAVATA

‘ argsTTJftfk m air* *t% i

g^TWSW %rr: sr%?HT II *

“ Give me leave, O you who .have
realised the Brahman ! I shall subdue the
expression of all the senses ; and making
my mind, cleared of even the vestiges of
yearnings, enter the Lord, I shall give up
my life.”

SJcT:—

wmar* i

smm 11

The Suta —

Thus told and honoured by king Parikshit,
the worshipful son of Vyasa, Suka gave
him leave and departed along with (other)
ascetics.

*JT

And the royal sage Parikshit
mind with his intellect on the Inner Light,
and with his breath still, contemplated,
looking like a (motionless) tree.

rTC: II

placed his

THE SALVATION OF PARIKSHIT 415

^ff^T#5TT I

gg r ^tft JT5TOt*ft I

3*?5Tf , STg ^F T ^ftsflm^yr^HT I
snjgr wsrrcysj: 'T^nrf q nfc ft r i nt ti

Bereft of all attachments, Parikshit sat
on the bank of the Ganges facing the
north, on sacred grass placed eastward,
and becoming a great yogin, passed into
the Brahman. The (serpent) Takshaka stung
the king ; and even as all the people were
looking on, the body of the royal sage
who had become the Brahman became a
heap of ashes as a result of the fire of
the snake’s poison.

JTFsnrforcsrt wj: i
^ri3 : n

Heavenly drums rumbled ; the Gandharvas
and the celestial damsels sang and
applauding (Parikshit), the gods sent showers
of flowers.

ii tfcr ’Ttf%f*nrforn ii

j

THUS ENDS THE STORY OF THE SALVATION

of ^parikshit

mft snrofr cT^ ^ninTf I

Obeisance unto that divine Vyasa of
unfailing intellect, by the contemplation of
whose lotus- leet, I learnt this sacred text
(of the Bhagavata).

m *rr*F*?r w *TTft tott nfrn^ i
ft: n

He who extends (to others) (the benefit
of) the Bhagavata, attains the supreme goal.
The glorious Bhagavata is the essence of
all the Upanishads.

II *ft 3T& T% fHi l HH II

THUS ENDS THE BHAGAVATA

THE BHAGAYATA

BY

Du. V. RAG H AVAN, m.a., Ph.D.

T HR Purana is a r e i n f o r c e m e n t
( Upuhrihnuma ) of tlio teachings of the
Vedas, with arguments for God and Dharma
in the form of accounts of the creation,
the sages, and the lives of the kings of the
past. This is the real meaning of the
traditional definition of the Purana as
‘ PanchalakHhatia \ The supremacy of the
Lord and Dharma is made the more explicit
purpose of the Purana in the amplified
4 Daaalakshana ’ (ten characteristics) given
by the Rhagavata (II. 10. 1-7). The Lord,
as Asrat/a, is given as the chief of these ten
features of the Purana and along with this
are introduced as definite subjects the
stories of the incarnations which the Lord
took for the re-establishment of His Kingdom
and for the renaissance of Dharma on earth,
and Salvation (Mukti). The first nine
subjects only qualify the tenth, the Asraya ,
and are intended to strengthen it.
( Dasamast/a visuddhyartham navnnamiha
Ickshanam . II. 10.!;). In this, the Rhagavata
shifts the emphasis from Principle to
27

418

THE BHAGAVATA

Personality. The same emphasis on the
Personality of the Lord is effectively laid in
the preliminary story of the genesis of the
Bhagavata, of how Vyasa, at the instance of
Narada, composed the Bhagavata for singing
exclusively of the Lord’s glories and thus
removing the depressing emptiness of his
heart which he _ ieli even after his

composing the great Mahabharata and the
other Puranas. The very name of the
Purana shows that it is the lays of the
Lord par excellence .

Of the Principles, Dharma, Jrmna and
Vairagya, the Lord Himself is the embodi-
ment. Devotion, Bhakti, to the Personality,
the Lord, is to be achieved and its

achievement means and includes the
Principles also. Knowledge, Action, and
Devotion — Jnana, Karma, Bhakti — as envi-
saged by the Bhagavata are neither
exclusive of each other nor contradictory.
To know truly is to love Him ; and

Devotion can be of the best form only
when it is informed by Knowledge.

Knowledge and Love must express themselves
in Acts of Devotion. But the Lord seems to
say in His discourse to Uddhava that the
path of Devotion is the best for us, for it
is suited to those who are attached to

various interests in life on earth

and yet have some spiritual yearnings.
This seems to be the meaning of the

saying that Bhakti is the path for the

THE BHAGAVATA

419

Kali age. It is an age in which emotion
is dominant ; it is its spiritual harnessing
that is Bhakti. And this has been woven
into an allegorical story on the greatness
of the Bhagavata, the Bharjavata Mahatmija ,
found in the Padma Purana.

Two of the problems facing the
reader of the Bhagavata are the salva-
tion of those that hate the Lord and
wreck His Kingdom, and the story of
the sports of Krishna with the women
of the Gokula. In the stories of the
demons, the As uras and the Rakshasas,
the Purana tackles the problem of evil
(VII. 1. 1-3). The Asura is called a

Purvadeva: the demon was a god; the
being that is inherently and originally
divine, errs and is, through the story
of a curse, made to be born as a

demoniac force disturbing the peace of
Dharma. The Asura or Rakshasa bates
the Lord intensely and incessantly to

hasten the time of the Lord’s appearance
to put an end to his evil self and to
restore him to his original state. Death
at the Lord’s hands is invariably attended
with the grant of salvation. This is

made plain in the story of Jaya and Vijaya,
which lies at the* very basis of the work.

Of the Love which the individual soul,
caught in the meshes of a distracting
world, is expected to develop for the
Lord, the noblest image that has

420

THE BH AO A VAT A

occurred to the mystics of all religions
is the Love of woman for man.
The intensity and the fight against odds
that this God-love means find a parallel
only in clandestine love. Hence the
saying: Yosha jaramiva priyavi. The

mystic language of the Rasa is hardly
stranger than that of Solomon’s song of
songs, or of St. Bernard’s sermons, or of
the writings of Coventry Patmore, which
speak of Christ the bridegroom and Church
the bride. “ The Law and the Prophets des-
cribe pure by impure. Bride and Bridegroom
are the highest images.” “ Thy maker is Thy
Husband.” That the Lord’s dance with
the cowherd women and their Love for
Him mean something which lias to be
sought beyond their face- meaning must be
very clear to anybody. For the Lord
Himself tells the women when the> seek
Him : “ The Love of those whose minds

are absorbed in Me cannot be physical
love : Na via yyai esitacl hiyani kamah kamaya
kalpate .” (X. A. 22-26.)

INDEX TO PROPER NAMES

Adtti. — One of Kasyapa’s wives ; mother
of the gods ; also referred to as Devamata.

Agastya. — A sage in the South ; curses
king Indradyumna of the Pandyas to
become an elephant (the Gajendra).

AGFIA. — A demon ally of Kamsa who
intends to kill Krishna, taking the form of
a huge python and is destroyed.

Ahindba. — The great serpent Adiseska,
the bed of the Lord Narayana on the
primaeval waters. When the Lord incarn-
ates himself as Krishna, the serpent
incarnates itself as His elder brother,
Balarama ; also called Ananta, Sahasrava-
dana and Sesha.

Airavata. — A white elephant which
rises out of the milky ocean and which
Indra takes for himself.

Ajamila. — A fallen Brahmin of Kanya-
kubja, who, despite his sins, is saved by the
power of mentioning the name of the
Lord.

Akrura. — Son of Gandini (hence called
Gandinisuta) and* Svaphalka : courtier of
Kamsa ; sent by Kamsa to bring Krishna

422

INDEX

and Balarama from the hamlet of Nanda
to the city of Mathura ; beholds the Lord’s
transcendental form in the waters of the
Jumna; referred to also as Madliava which
is a tribal name.

Amartyanadi. — T he divine Ganges, on
whose banks Parikshit spends his last
seven da>s fasting and listening to Suka’s
recital of the Bkagavata.

Anarta. — T he land occupied by the
Yadavas and the allied tribes, Bhojas,
Andhakas and others.

Anga. — A descendant of Dhruva; father
of the terrible Vena. See footnote on p. 61.

ANIRUDDHA. — Son of Pradyumna and
Rati ; grandson of Krishna and Rukmini ;
married Usha, daughter of Banasura ; also
called Pradyumni.

Apsaras. -A class of celestial damsels
who rise out of the milky ocean.

Arinhta. — A demon friend of Kamsa ;
killed by Krishna, whom ho attacks
in the form of a bull.

ARJUNA. — The third of the Pandavas;
an incarnation of the Lord as Kara ;
celebrated in the Bharata ; after the ruin
of the Yadus, takes charge of the women
and t he young ; also called Kiriti.

Arj UNA. — More fully Kartaviryarjuna ;
king of the Haihayas,; deprives sage
Jamadagni of his divine cow ; is killed by

INDEX

m

Parasurarna ; had a thousand hands ; could
stem the Hood of rivers with his hands ;
imprisoned Havana ; was a Yogin who
miraculously appeared in the minds of hia
erring subjects and prevented them from
committing sin.

AsurtAS. — The demons ; other names :
Daityas, Danavas (sons of Diti and Danu).

Badari. — T he sacred hermitage in the
Himalayas, of Narayana and Nara; also
called Badarikasrama ; Uddhava retires to
this place and attains salvation ; also
called Visala.

Baka. — A demon friend of Kamsa, who
attacks Krishna in the form of a crane
and is killed by him.

BALARAM A. — Elder brother of Krishna ;
born of Rob ini to whose womb he is
transferred from Devaki’s by Yoga Maya;
an incarnation of the great serpent
Sesha ; marries Revati ; kills the demons
Dhenuka and Pralamba ; also called Bala,
Rama, Sankarshana, Rohiniputra and
Baladeva.

Bali. — The king of the demons : grandson
of Prahlada, hence called Prahladi ; son
of Viroehana, hence called Vairochana ; a
virtuous monarch ; is however subdued
by the Lord, for the sake of the Devas*
in the forms of Vamana and Trivikrama ;
is sent by him to the netherworld

424

INDEX

where he is made an immortal ; also
called Mahabali and Indrasena.

Bana. — Son of Mahabali, the grandson
of Prahlada ; had a thousand hands ; a
-devotee of Siva ; father of Usha, who
is married by Krishna’s grandson
Aniruddha ; also called Balinandana.

BHADRAKALI. — A fierce manifestation of
Goddess Mother ; some bandits attempt to
offer her the human sacrifice of Jada-
bharata ; unable to bear that violence to
a holy person, she manifests herself and
slays the bandits ; also referred to as Devi.
See Sati below.

BHADRASENA. — A cowherd.

Bharata. — Brother of Rama : second son
of king Dasaratha ; partial manifestation of
the Lord ; celebrated in the Iiamayana .

Bharata. — Son of Dushyanta and
Sakuntala ; an ancestor of the Pandavas and
Parikshit, who are referred to as the
Bharatas, after him.

Bharata or Jadabharata.— A king and
a yogin ; son and successor of Rishaba,
an incarnation of the Lord ; marries
Pancajani ; has five sons ; is reborn as a
deer because of his absorption in an orphan
deer which he rescues from the current ; is
reborn then as a Brahmin’s son ; wanders
as a recluse ; is about to be sacrificed once
to Bhadrakali ; instructor of king
Rahugana.

INDEX

425

BhauSia. — A demon of five heads born of
Earth ; killed by the Lord. See footnote on
p. B64; also called Mara and Naraka.

BHIMA. — The second of the five Pandavas,
the cousins of Krishna ; also Bhirnasena,
Vrikodara ; celebrated in the Bharata.

Bhishmaka. — A king of the Vidarbhas;
father of Rukmini, wife of Krishna;
also referred to as Kundinapati.

Bhojab. — A tribe related to the Yadavas.

BhrigUS. — The Brahmin family, the
priests of the Asuras ; hence Sukra, chief
among them, is called Bhargava.

BHIJMI. — Mother Earth ; lifted out of
the primaeval waters by the Lord who
incarnated himself as the Boar : other
names : Ga, Mahi, Kshma, Urvi.

BlNDUSARAS^-The lake on whose banks
Mann met sage Kardama and gave him in
marriage his daughter Devahuti.

Brahma. — The first manifestation, as
creator (Vidhata), of the supreme Lord,
in the navel-lotus of the Lord lying
on Adisesha on the waters ; other names :
Svayambhu, Aja, Virincha, Paramesthi,
A tmayo n i, Ilamsavahana, Satadhriti,
Ktiinalasana, Vedhas, Dhata,Vidhi, Atmabhu.

BRINDAVANA. — The forest on the Jumna;
the scene of Krishna’s boyhood-sports.

CHAIDYA. — The ’king of the Chedis,
Sisupala, who meets his death at the hands

INDEX

426

of Krishna, daring Yudhishthira’s Kajasuya
sacrifice ; is intended as the bridegroom for
the hand of Rukmini by her brother Rukmi ;
son of Damagliosha ; hence referred bo
as Damaghoshasuta.

Chanura, — A wrestler in the employ of
Kamsa ; killed by Krishna.

CHARANAS. — A class of semi-divine beings ;
minstrels.

Chitralekha. — A maid of Usha, who
brings her the lover seen in a dream
by Usha.

Dadhichi. — A sage of great penance
whose bones were the strongest ; he gives
up his body at the request of Indra, so
that Indra might make the weapon Vajra
out of his bones, to kill Vritrasura ; also
referred to by the Veda to which he
belonged, as Atharvana Rishi or simply
Atharvana.

Dantavaktra.— King of Karusadesa ;
killed by Krishna ; the last incarnation
of Vijaya, the Lord’s door-keeper, in
demoniac form.

DASARATHA. — A king of the Solar line ;
father of Rama, an incarnation of the
Lord.

Dasarha. — One of the tribes of
Krishna’s race ; hence Krishna is referred
to as Dasarha.

INDEX

487

Devai?Jwta. — T he white horse on which
Kalki will ride to destroy the evil rulers
of the Kali Age.

Devaki. — D aughter of Devaka and step-
sister of Kamsa ; wife of Vasudeva ; mother
of Krishna.

Dev a LA.— A sage ; cursed the Gandharva
Huhu to become a crocodile*

DHANVANTAKI. — The founder of Ayurveda,
the science of medicine ; an incarnation of
the Lord ; appeared from the milky ocean
with the pot of nectar which gives immorta-
lity ; the gods get the nectar through the
help of the Lord.

Dhenitka. — A demon ally of Kamsa in
the form of an ass whom Balarama kills.

DHJRUVA. — Son of king Uttanapada and
Suniti ; won the Lord's grace as a boy ;
became the pole-star in the end.

Diti. — T he mother of the demons who
are thus referred to as Daityas, Ditijas
and Daiteyas.

Dvaraka. — A n island in the sea, in
the west of India, which Krishna makes
His headquarters after killing Kamsa ;
after His leaving the place, the sea
floods the island ; also called Dvaravati.

Dvtvida. — A demon ally of Kamsa.

G a j a h v a v a . — Has t i n ap ura , the eapi tal

of the Kuru-Pandavas.

428

INDEX

GANDHARVAS. — A class of &t,mi-divine
beings ; great musicians.

GARGA. — The preceptor of the Yadus ;
names Krishna and Balarama, and conducts
the other sacraments for the brothers.

GARUDA. — The great eagle which is the
vehicle of Lord Hari ; son of Tarkshya,
hence called Tarkshyasuta.

GAYA. — An ancient king.

Girivraja. — R ajagriha, the capital of
Jarasandha, in the Magadhas.

Gopis. — T he cowherd women of Nanda’s
hamlet.

GOVARDHANA. — A Mountain near Nanda’e
hamlet whose worship is substituted by
Krishna for the worship of Indra ; the
Lord holds it up to shelter the inhabitants of
the Gokula from the torrential rains.

GUHYAKAS. — A class of semi-divine beings.

HaIHAYAS. — A royal race, to which
Kartaviryarjuna who is killed by
Parasurama belongs ; extirpated by
Parasurama.

Hari. — T he Supreme Lord, who is also the
impersonal Brahman. It is His glory and
incarnations that specially form the subject
of this Purana, the Bhacjavata. Other
names : Krishna, Adhokshaja, Sattvatampati,
Vasudeva, Bhagavan (the Lord), Ananta,
Urukrama, Mukunda, 'Vishnu, Narayana,
Bukla, Triyuga, G a r u d a d h v a j a,

INDEX

429 *

Yajnesa, ^kchyuta, Abjanabha, Sriyahpati,
Sankarshana, Govinda, Isvara, Jagadisvara*
Gadadkara, Aravin danabha, Ajita, Parama
purusha, Purusha, Purushottama, Chakra-
yudha, Aja, G a r u d a s a n a, Mukunda,
Garudavahana, Janardana, Adipurusha,
Amritabhu, Madhusudana, Hrishikesa,
Ambujekshana, K e s a v a, Jagannatha,.
Jagadguru and Madhudvit.

Harindra. — The king of the monkeys;
Sugriva; ally of Rama; see the Ramayana.

Hayagriva. — A demon who steals the
Vedas ; the Lord kills him in his
Fish -incarnation.

HlRANYAKASIPU. — A demon-king; son of
Diti ; father of Prahlada and three other
sons ; an enemy of the Lord who kills him
in his incarnation as the Man-Lion. See
footnote on p. '28 ; elder-brother of
Hiranyaksha ; referred to also as Adidaitya,
prime-demon, like his brother.

Hiranyaksha. — The Adidaitya or the
prime-demon, brother of Hiranyakasipu.
The two are demoniac manifestations of the
Lord’s door-keepers, Jaya and Vijaya, and
after three encounters with the Lord and
death at His hands, attain to their original
divine state. See fpot-note on p. 28.

HUHU. — A Gandharva, who is cursed
to become a crocodile by sage Devala ; he
drags the Gajendra - and attains his original
state on being cut by the Lord’s discus.

480

INDEX

Ikshumati. — A river on whose banks
Jadabliarata is caught and made to
bear king Rahugana’s palanquin.

INDRA. — The king of the gods in
heaven ; his worship is replaced by the
worship of the Govardhana mountain and
his pride is thereby quelled ; other names :
Mahendra, Suresvara, Maghavan, Surendra,
Vajrin, Balabhit, Sakra.

iNDRADYUMNA. — A king of the Dravi-
das in the Pandya country ; is cursed
by sage Agastya to become an elephant ;
is caught by a crocodile and is saved by
the Lord.

IRAVATI. — Queen of king Parikshit.

Janamejaya. — Eldest of the four sons of
Parikshit and Iravati ; succeeds his father
and avenges, with a big snake-sacrifice, his
father’s death by snake-bite.

JAMADAGNI. — A sage of the Bhrigu line ;
father of Parasurama, an incarnation of the
Lord ; killed by Kartaviryarjuna’s sons
during Parasurama’s absence : in the end he
becomes one of the seven great sages ;
also referred to as Bhargava.

JARA8ANDHA. — The Magadha king ; an
enemy of Krishna ; he was horn as two
halves which were miraculously welded ;
killed by Bhima in a duel on the eve of the
Rajasuya sacrifice -of Yudhishthira ;
also referred to as Magadha, Magadhesvara.

IK0BX

481

Kala^Uta. — T he deadly poison which
arises from the ocean while it is being
churned ; Siva saves the world by swallow-
ing it ; also called Halahala.

Kaliva. — A serpent which was poison-
ing a pool in the Jumna; Krishna
subdues it and makes it go away to the sea.

Kalki. — T he Avatara of the Lord in
Kali ; Karka or Kalka is a white horse,
riding on which, He will rid the earth
of w icked rulers ; to he the son of the
Brahmin Vishnuyasas of the village of
Sambhala.

KvMADHENU. — The celestial milch -cow
which would give anything ; rises out of
the milky ocean ; other names : Havir-
dh a n i . Ha v i s h m at i .

Kamsa. — King of Mathura; uncle of
Krishna; son of Ugrasena; hence called
Augraseni ; an enemy of Krishna ; killed
by Krishna; Bhojaraja ; Bhojendra.

Kanyakubja. — A city; Kanauj ; the
place of the fallen Brahmin, Ajamila,
who is saved by the power of the
Lord’s Name.

KAPIL A. — A sage ; born of Kardama and
Devahuti : an incarnation of the Lord,
expounds the Samkhya Philosophy to
His mother.

Kardama. — A son of Brahma and one of
the Prajapatis or progenitors of the human

482

INDEX

race ; marries Devahuti, daughter <*f Manu ;
father of sage Kapila, an incarnation of the
Lord. See footnote on p. 8 0.

Kasyapa. — The father of the gods ; son
of Marici ; hence called Maricha also ; Aditi,
the mother of the gods, is one of his
wives.

IvAUBTUBHA. — A ruby which comes out
of the milky ocean and which adorns the
chest of Lord Hari.

Kesi. — A demon set on Krishna by Karasa
and killed by Krishna.

Krishna. —The Lord’s Avatara taken to
end Kamsa ; son of Vasudeva and Devaki ;
grows in the hamlet of Nanda ; foster-parents
Nanda and Yasoda ; see Hari: other names
referring to this Avatara : Nandasuta,
Devakisuta, Damodara, Dasarha (tribal
name), Govinda, Yadnnandana, Sauri,
Gopala (cowherd).

KRHIHODADHI. — The milky ocean which is
churned by the gods and the demons and
from which precious objects arise.

KUCHELA. — A poor Brahmin who studied
with Krishna under Sandipini ; the Lord
blesses him with all riches.

Kundina. — T he capital of the Vidarbhas.

Kurma. — The great tortoise, an Avatara
of the Lord in that form taken to
support the mountain Mandara used for
churning the milky ocean ; also referred to
as Kacchapa.

INDEX

488

KURU^-An ancestor oi Parikshit ;
Parikshit is referred to as Kauravya, a
scion of Kuru.

Kuta. — A wrestler in the employ of
Kamsa.

Kuvalayapida. — An elephant of Kamsa
which is posted at the arena-gate to
kill Krishna, but which Krishna kills.

LAKSHMANA. -Brother of Rama ; the
third son of king Dasaratha and a
partial incarnation of the Lord ; celebrated
in the Rama y ana.

MADHUVANA. — The forest adjoining the
Jumna and sacred to the Lord ; Dhruva
perforins penance there.

M AH As AN v. — A demon ally of Kamsa.

Mahendra. — A southern mountain to
which Parasurama retires after finishing
the work of doing away with haughty
Kshatriyas.

Mahibmati. — A city on the Narmada ; the
capital of the Haihaya king, Kartaviryar-
juna.

Mandara. — A divine Mountain ; Hiranya-
kasipu performs penance there ; is used as
the churning rod when the gods and the
demons churn the ’milky ocean.

Manmatha. — God of Love ; son of Krishna
and Rukmini ; father of Aniruddha ; also
called Prady u m na ...

28

484

INDEX

MATHURA. — The capital of the Surasenas ;
Ugrasena and Kamsa ruled there ; referred
to as Madhupuri also.

Matsya. — The Fish-incarnation of the
Lord ; appears during the deluge ; kills
Hayagriva and restores the Vedas ; protects
on an ark king Satyavrata along with
some others, to continue the world in the
next aeon ; imparts to Satyavrata the
Matsyapurana.

Maya. — The mystic power of the Lord
manifesting Herself as the Goddess Mother ;
appears as a daughter in Yasoda’s womb
in Nanda’s hamlet and is transferred to
Mathura to the place of Krishna. Kamsa
tries to kill her but fails, as she disappears
from his hand ; also referred to as
Yogamaya ; Yoganidra.

MERUDEVI. — Queen of Nabhi ; mother of
Rishabha, an incarnation of the Lord.

MOHINI. — The enchanting feminine form
which the Lord took to deceive the Demons
of their share in the nectar, during the
chnrning of the milky ocean.

MUSTIKA. — A wrestler in the employ of
Kamsa ; is killed by Balarama.

i

NABHI. — A king ; grandson of Priyavrata ;
son of Agnidhra ; husband of Merudevi ; the
Lord incarnated himself /is Rishabha in the
womb of Merudevi,

INDEX

485

NAIMI8A. — A forest and a divine region
where sago Saunaka performed his sacrifice
during whose session, Suta the minstrel
recited the eighteen Puranas to Saunaka and
the other sages assembled there.

Nanpa. — Chief of the cowherds ; foster-
father of Krishna.

Narada. — A divine sage ; son of Brahma ;
asks Vyasa to compose the Bhagavata ;
instructs Dhruva how to worship the Lord ;
in s t r u cts Prachi n abarh is.

N A RAY ana. — The last son of Ajamila ;
his having the Lord’s name saves his father
from hell.

NRISIMIIA. -The form of Man-Lion in
which the Lord incarnated Himself to
kill Hiranyakasipu.

Panohajanya.— The conch of the Lord.

PARA8ARA. — A sage ; father of sage
Vyasa whom he begot on the maiden
Satyavati.

Parasurama.— Rama with the battle-
axe ; an incarnation of the Lord to rid
earth of the burden of haughty kings ;
appears as one of the sons of Renuka
and Jamadagni. *

Parijata. — A celestial tree which rises
out of the milky . ocean ; a bestower of
desired objects ; taken by Indra.

486

INDEX

Parikshit. — Grandson of the Pfihdavas ;
son of Abhimanyu and Uttara ; born as
a corpse as a result of the deadly
missile aimed at his mother’s womb by
Asvatthaman ; Krishna brings him to life
by His power ; succeeds the Pandavas on
the throne ; father of Janamejaya ; is
cursed by a sage’s son to die of snake-
bite within seven days ; renounces his
kingdom and hears from Suka the
Bhagavata for the seven days and attains
salvation ; other names : Bharata (scion
of Bharata), Kauravya (scion of Kuril).

PAUNDRAKA. — A tribe, inimical to
Krishna and the Yadavas and allied to
Sisupala.

Prabhasa. — A holy place in Kathiawad ;
the Yadavas perish at that place in a mutual
fight after a carouse.

Prachinabarhis. — A king ; a descendant
of Prithu ; son of Havirdhana; see footnote
on p. 69 ; also called Barhishat ; both names
refer to his constant performance of
sacrifices, from which Narada turned his
mind ; he was one of the Prajapatis,
p r i m ae va 1 p rogo n i to rs.

Prag.tyotisha. — T he capital of Narakasura
in Kamarupa (Assam).

PRAHLADA. — Son of demon Hiranyakasipu ;
one of the greatest of God’s devotees ; is
hated by his father for h^s devotion to the
Lord grandfather of Bali.

INDEX

487

PRAL^BA. ~A demon ally of Kamsa who
is set on Krishna by Kamsa, but is killed
by Balarama.

PRITHA. — Kunti, the aunt of Krishna and
the mother of the first three Pandavas ; her
sons are called Parthas after her.

PRITHU.- A king; son of Vena, hence
called Vainya ; a manifestation of the Lord ;
husband of Archis ; a manifestation of
Goddess Lakshmi. He is credited with
having been the first to devise dwelling
places, villages, towns, forts, etc., on this
earth ; having been an exemplary ruler, he
gets the name ‘king* — Raja; from him.
Earth takes the name Prithvi.

Priyavrata. — One of the two sons of
Mann, the king ; hence referred to as
Rajaputra ; brother of Uttanapada ; averse
to enjoying kingship but advised by Brahma
to do his duty ; he is credited with having
done a survey of the world and determined
its several continents, seas and islands.

Prtyavrata. — A son of Manu. See
footnote on p. 81. ; is endowed with an
element of the Lord.

PuLAHA. — A sage to whose hermitage,
Bharata retires from his kingdom for
doing penance.

PULA8TYA. — A sage whose hermitage was
the same as Puiaha’s and where Jada-
bharata performs penance.

488

INDEX

Putana. — A demoness set on*'Krishna
by Kamsa ; killed by Krishna.

Rahugana. —King of the Sindhus and
the Sauviras; Jadabharata is conscripted
to bear his palanquin and Bbarata
instructs him so that he may leave off
his pride and attain wisdom.

Rama.— A n incarnation of the Lord ;
son of Dasaratha ; celebrated in the Rama -
yana : other names: Sitapati, Kosalendra ;
Raghupati.

Ravana. — T he king of the Rakshasas
who steals Rama’s wife, Sita, and was
killed by the Lord in his Rama avatara ;
a manifestation of Java in demoniac form ;
was previously imprisoned and then let
free by Kartaviryarjuna ; Dasanana (having
ten heads).

Ravi. — God Sun.

Renu.— M other of Renuka, the wife of
sage Jamadagni and mother of Parasurama.

Renmtk —D aughter of Renu; wife of
sage Jamadagni ; mother of Parasurama.

Risk \BHA. -Son of Nabhi and Merudevi ;
an incarnation of the Lord ; his queen is
Jayanti : has a hundred sons, the eldest of
whom is the great Yogin,,Bharata.

ROHINI. — A wife of Yasudeva ; living in
Nanda’s hamlet ; mother of Ralarama, whom
Yogamava transfers from Devaki’s womb
to Rohini’s.

INDEX

489

RukM£ — E ldest son of king Bhishmakft
and eldest brother of Rukmini ; enemy of
Krishna ; proposes to give his sister in
marriage to Sisupala, but is defeated in
his plans.

RUKMINI. — Daughter of Rhishmaka; wife
of Krishna ; mother of Pradyumna ; incar-
nation of Goddess Lakshmi ; also called
Vaidarbhi and Bhaishmi.

Sakata. — A demon in the form of a
cart whom Krishna, as a child, destroys.

SaIjA. — A wrestler employed by king
Kamsa.

SAMRAT. — The Emperor Manu, a son of
the creator ; father of Devahuti, wife of
Kardama and mother of Kapila. See
footnote on p. 81. Also referred to as
Adiraja, the prime king.

Samvartaka. — A group of devastating
clouds which appear at the end of an
aeon to deluge the universe.

SAMBHALA. — The village where the Lord’s
future incarnation as Kalki will appear.

Sanandana. — O ne of the sage-sons of
Brahma who curse Jaya and Vijaya, Vishnu’s
door-keepers, to be born thrice as demons
for their insolence.

SANDIPINI. — A teacher of Avanti of the
Kasyapa Gotra ; Krishna, Balarama and
Kuehela study under him.

440

INDEX

Sapta Rishis— The seven greJRf sages;
the constellation of the Great Bear :
Kasyapa, Atri, Vasishtha, Visvamitra,
Gautama, Bharadvaja and Jamadagni.

SATARUPA. — The queen of Manu.

Sati. — G oddess Parvati, consort of Siva ;
is worshipped by the maidens of the hamlet
of Nanda ; is worshipped by Rukmini
before marriage ; other names : Katyayani,
Bhadrakali, Ambika, Bhavani, SivA.

SATRUGHNA.— Brother of Rama ; partial
manifestation of the Lord ; fourth son of
Dasaratha ; celebrated in the Ramaycina.

SATVATA. — A tribe related to the Yadavas.

SATYAVRATA. — A southern king, a devotee
of the Lord ; the Lord appears to him as
a Fish and guards him on an ark during
the deluge, and makes him Vaivasvata Manu
at the beginning of the next aeon.

Satjbha. — K ing Salva; Saubha is the
name of his capital which he could move
at his will ; is killed by Krishna.

Saunaka. — A Brahmin sage who performs
sacrifice in the forest of Naimisa. It was
to him and the others who assemble at his
sacrifice that Suta recites all the Puranas.

SlDDHAS. — A class of semi-divine beings.

SlTA. — Wife of Rama ; daughter of king
Janaka ; an incarnation of Goddess
Lakshmi ; see the Ramayana ; Vaideharaja-
duhita.

INDEX

441

SlVA.-^Dne of the Trinity ; other names ;
Girisa, Sadasiva, Mahadeva, Vrisb&nka,
Bbava ; saves the world by drinking the
deadly poison which the milky ocean
churned by the gods and demons throws out.

SONITA. — The ? capital city of Banasura.

Sri. — G oddess Laksbmi who rises out
of the milky ocean during its churning
by the gods and the demons ; chooses Lord
Hari as Her Lord ; the Goddess of wealth
and fortune; other names: Rarml, Lakshmi.

SRIPAMAN. — A cowherd.

Suka. — S on of sage Vyasa ; learnt the
Bharat a and all the Puranas from Vyasa ;
realised Brahman even as a hoy; narrates
the Bhcujavata to Parikshit in seven days;
also called Badarayani.

SUNITHA. — Wife of king Anga and
mother of the terrible Vena. See footnote
on p. 01.

SUNITl. — A wife of king Uttanapada;
mother of Dhruva ; neglected by her lord.

SURAfi. — The gods : other names : Vibu-
dhas ; Divaukasas, Usriyas, Traivishtapeyas.

SURASENA. — A Yadu chief of Mathura ;
father of Vasudeva ; grandfather of
Krishna.

SURASENAS. — A . tribe related to the
Yadavas.

442

INDEX

SURPANAKHI.— A demoness ; iSfster of
Eavana; disfigured by Lakshmana; sowa
the seed for the war between Rama and
Eavana ; see the Ramayana .

SURUCHI. — A wife of king Uttanapada;
a favourite of her lord; mother of Uttama.

StJTA. — The minstrel who recites the
Puranas and the epic Mahabharata
to sage Saunaka and others, assembled
during the former’s sacrifice at Naimisa
forest. Son of Ronmharshana, hence called
Raumaharshani. His proper name is
Ugrasravas.

Svarga. — The heavens of which Indra
is the lord ; other names : Trinaka, Ttivish-
tapa, Nakaprishtha.

SVAMANTAPANCHAKA. — A place in the
battle-field of Kurukshetra ; hero Parasu-
rama created pools of blood by annihilat-
ing twenty-one generations of Kshatriyas.

Takshaka. — A great serpent which, as
a result of the curse of the son of a
sage, stings king Parikshit.

Tarkshya. - -Father of Garuda, the vehicle
of Lord Hari.

Tosalaka. — A wrestler in the employ
of king Kamsa.

Trikuta. — A mountain on which the
elephant king, Gajendra lived.

INDEX

44 ^

TrinaV&rta. — A demon friend of Kamsa
who, as a whirlwind, tries to carry off baby
Krishna, and dies in the attempt.

Till VI KR AM A. — The gigantic form of the
Lord, with which He bestrides the whole
universe in three steps ; also called
Urukrama.

TVASHTA. — An architect of the gods ;
son of Kasyapa and Aditi ; his wife was
Rachana, belonging to the demons ; father
of Yisvarupa who acts as the priest of
the gods for some time and is killed
by Indra.

Ucch AIKS RAYAS. — A white horse that
rises out of the milky ocean and which Indra
takes for himself.

Un PH AY A. A friend, devotee and counsellor
of Krishna : is sent by Krishna with a
message to the inhabitants of Nan da's
hamlet ; before His passage to his abode,
the Lord discourses to him ; retires to
Badarikasrama and attains salvation.

UoiiASENA. — A Yadu chief; rules at
Mathura; son of Ahuka ; brother of Devaka,
the father of Devaki ; Kamsa imprisons him
and usurps the throne ; Krishna reinstalls
him after killing Kamsa.

Us anas. — The preceptor of the demons,
the Asuras ; other names : Kavya (also Kavi).

Usha. — Daughter of Banasura ; marries
Aniruddha, grandson of Krishna.

444

INDEX

Uttara. — A king ; father d i Iravati,
queen of Parikshit.

Uttanapada. — A son of Manu ; see foot-
note on p. 82 ; father of Dhruva ; has two
wives, Suniti and Suruchi ; is endowed
with an element of the Lord.

Vachaspati. — The preceptor of the
gods ; disappears from heaven being
slighted by Indra once ; in his absence,
Vritra, the Asura, captures Indra’s capital ;
other name : Brihaspati.

Vamana. — T he dwarf Brahmacharin-form
which the Lord takes to subdue Bali,
king of the demons ; as a son of Kasyapa,
Vamana becomes a brother of Indra.

Varaha. — Also Adi Varaha, the primaeval
Boar. The first of the Lord’s incarna-
tions ; lifts the earth out of the waters,
where He kills also the demon named
Hiranyaksha; also referred to as Kroda.

Varuna. — The god of the waters and
the Lord of the West.

VARUNI. — Wine ; rises out of the milky
ocean when it was churned ; claimed by
the demons.

Vasudeva. — Of the Yadu race; son of
Sura ; brother of Kunti, the mother of
the first three Pandavas ; marries Devaki,
daughter of Devaka, and sister of Kamsa ;
father of Balarama and Krishna ; also
oalled Sauri, Anakadundubhi and Surasuta.

INDEX

44£

VASAYI.— A name of Satyavati ; so called
because of her being the daughte? of
Vasu, that is Uparichara Vasu ; mother of
Vyasa ; wife of king Santanu.

VASUKI. — A great serpent who is used
as the rope when the gods and the
demons churn the milky ocean ; referred
to as Nagaraja also.

VATSA. — A demon who desires to kill
Krishna, taking the form of a calf ;
Krishna kills him.

VAYU. — The Wind-god.

VENA. — Descendant of Dhruva ; a tyrant
who is cursed to death by sages and
Brahmins. See footnote on p. 61.

VlSHNUYASAS. — The Brahmin of Sambhala
village, whose son the future Avatara of the
Lord (Kalki) will be.

Visvakarman. — The architect of the
gods ; makes the Vajra or thunderbolt for
Indra out of sage Dadhichi’s bones, to kill
Vritrasura.

VlSVARUPA. — A Brahmin ; son of
Tvashta ; hence called Tvashtra ; sought
by Indra during the absence of Brihaspati ;
acts as Indra’s priest, but is slain by
Indra for his partiality for the Asuras to
whom he is related through his mother.

446

INDEX

Vraja. — The hamlet of Nanda, where
Krishna spends his boyhood ; also called
Gokula ; referred to also as Nandavraja and
Nandagokula (Nanda’s hamlet).

VRAJAUKAS. — The inhabitants of the
Vraja, the hamlet of Nanda.

Vrishabha. — A cowherd.

Vritra. — The evil spirit created by
Tvashta in his sacrificial fire, to kill Indra
who murdered Visvarupa, the son of
Tvashta ; also referred to as Tvashtra, son
of Tvashta.

Vyasa. — The original composer of the
Bhagavata and other Puranas and the
Bharata ; father of Suka, who recites the
Bhagavata to king Parikshit ; a manifesta-
tion of the Lord ; also called Badarayana
and Krishna.

Yadus. — The race to which Vasudeva,
Kamsa and Krishna belong ; also Yadavas ;
they perish in a mutual fight after
a carouse.

YAKSHAS. — A class of semi-divine beings.

Yama. — The god of death ; his capital is
called Samyamani ; hence he is referred to
as Samyamanipati (Lord of Samyamani) ;
also called Dandapani.

Yamuna. — The Jumna; Dhruva practises
austerities on its banks ; scene of Krishna’s
boyhood sport ; also called Kalindi.

INDEX

447

Yabod/** — W ife of the cowherd chief,
Nanda ; foster-mother of Krishna ; Yoga
Maya appears as her daughter.

Yudhishthira.— T he eldest of the five
Pandavas, the sons of the aunt of Krishna ;
grandfather of king Parikshit to whom
the Bhagavata is narrated ; also called
Ajatasatru.

First Edn, 3,000 Opies, Jan, 1937, G. A. Natesan ft Co,, Madras,

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SANKARA’S SELECT WORKS I

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